


Is This a Date?!

by LootsLogic



Series: Cafe Ambrosia [2]
Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M rating because Belial, M rating for suggestive language, M/M, Sexual Harassment, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:26:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22330285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LootsLogic/pseuds/LootsLogic
Summary: Lucifer returns from his business trip. Sandalphon works up his courage to ask him out on a date.But Lucifer's kinda dumb.And so is Sandalphon.Can be read independently from Welcome to Cafe Ambrosia.
Relationships: Lucifer/Sandalphon (Granblue Fantasy)
Series: Cafe Ambrosia [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1123923
Comments: 36
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been over a year, but I haven't forgotten!

Sandalphon woke up in an unusually good mood, feeling refreshed for once. He even hummed happily to himself as he got ready for work. In fact, he couldn’t wait to go to work. He even spent a little extra time in front of the mirror grooming himself to perfection.

After all, today was the day that Lucifer was returning from his trip to South America.

Sandalphon could barely remember anything that happened on his way to the cafe. Were the birds singing in the trees louder or softer than usual? He didn’t know.

Was the temperature nicer or worse than usual? He wasn’t paying attention.

Was Vyrn tied up outside of the cafe today? Maybe? He didn’t check.

Upon arriving at the cafe, he threw open the cafe door with a bright grin. “Lucifer?”

Michael looked up from counting the cash at the register. “Hmm? Sandalphon, you’re earlier than usual.”

Sandalphon peered around the cafe to see if he couldn’t spot him anywhere. “Lucifer?” he repeated.

Michael shook her head. “He won’t be here for a while. I believe his plane should be landing soon. Raphael left to pick him up at the airport.”

Sandalphon’s shoulders drooped slightly in disappointment. “Oh…”

Gran poked his head out from the kitchen. “Morning, Sandalphon!” Upon seeing Sandalphon pouring his first cup of coffee, Gran frowned. “Oh… you’re hitting the coffee already…”

“Morning.”

Gran squinted at Sandalphon, his free hand stroking his chin. “Something’s off with you this morning…” Gran moved closer to him, carrying the day’s pastries on the tray. “Oooooo, what’s this? You’re actually in a good mood for once!”

“No I’m not.” Sandalphon retorted, quickly downing the coffee so he wouldn’t have to explain himself.

Gran grinned mischievously as he jabbed Sandalphon’s side with his elbow. “Yes, you are!” he sang. “You’re awfully cheerful today!”

Sandalphon didn’t respond. He simply poured a second cup of coffee and immediately downed it. Seeing that he wasn’t getting any further with Sandalphon, Gran shrugged his shoulders and returned to prepping for the cafe’s opening. Sandalphon poured his third cup of coffee. This time, he took his time draining the cup, a small smile teasing the corners of his lips. _Lucifer’s coming back soon._

  
  
The morning rush wasn’t terrible, but the moment business died down to a crawl, Sandalphon was startled with Gran grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. “WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH SANDALPHON?”

Sandalphon frowned as he shrugged Gran’s hands off of him. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Gran pulled at his own hair. “THAT NO-MILK-LATTE LADY FROM YESTERDAY CAME BACK, AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO MURDER HER!”

“I thought you said murder was bad?”

“NO! I mean, yes! But usually you would’ve bitten off her head or something!”

Sandalphon poured himself another cup of coffee. “And?”

“You _smiled_ and YOU DIDN’T EVEN FLINCH WHEN SHE DIDN’T ASK FOR ANY NON-MILK MILK!” Gran cried as he curled over the counter. “It’s too _weird!_ Go back to being an asshole to customers again!”

Sandalphon shrugged and simply nudged Gran until he got off the counter so he could wipe it down. Gran gasped, shaking Sandalphon again. “Don’t tell me you’re dying from some mysterious incurable disease and this is how you’re coping?!”

Sandalphon pushed Gran off of him. “What the hell are yo-”

The cafe doors jingled softly as the opened and the two snapped to attention, ready to deliver their greeting when Sandalphon saw who walked through the door. “L-Lucifer! Y-you’re back!”

Sandalphon felt all of his worries melt away as he basked in Lucifer’s brilliant smile. “Ah, Sandalphon. I have retur-”

“Hey, Sandy! Miss me?”

Sandalphon’s momentary bliss completely dissolved when Belial popped out from behind Lucifer. “ _You!_ What the hell are you doing here?”

“It makes me so happy that you haven’t forgotten about me.” Belial grinned, batting his eyelashes for good measure.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF _THIS_?” Michael’s voice boomed from behind.

Sandalphon and Gran both jumped at the sound. Lucifer smiled radiantly. “Ah, Michael! I was hoping you were in today. We can go over all the details righ-”

“NEVER MIND THAT!” Michael boomed, finger pointed at Belial. “ _You_ were banned from the cafe! Leave now before I call security!”

Belial grinned at Michael’s threat, wrapping his arms around himself in mock fear. “Ooooh nooooooo! I’m so scared!” he laughed as he turned to face Lucifer. “Did you forget to tell them, Lucy?”

“Ah, have I not introduced you before?” Lucifer gestured at Belial. “This is the cafe’s co-owner, Belial. The pastries we serve are all his recipes.”

“ _WHAT?!”_ Sandalphon sputtered.

Michael’s frowned. “This is the first that _I’ve_ heard of it.”

Gran stared silently in shock. Belial shrugged, a cocky grin spreading across his face. “Well there you have it! Looks like we’ll be seeing each other a _lot_ more.”

Lucifer brought a hand to his chin. “Ah… I did find it odd that security stopped us on the way here.”

Michael frown deepened. “Co-owner or not, he was banned from the cafe for sexually harassing an employee. I do not see it fit for him to return to the premises.”

“Yes, security did explain his ban,” Lucifer turned to face Belial. “He has promised to be on his best behavior from this day forth.”

Belial winked. “Cross my heart, hope to die. Poke a needle in my eye!”

“Don’t tempt me.” Sandalphon grumbled.

“Oooooo, are you threatening me with a good time?”

Gabriel cleared her throat from behind Belial, causing him to jump. “I believe I’ve given you your warning earlier?”

“Y-yes, ma’am!” he squeaked before dashing off to an unoccupied corner of the cafe and planting himself in a chair. “Gonna be on my best behavior!”

Michael shook her head. “I don’t think we should trust him, but if you insist, Lucifer...”

Sandalphon snapped out of his daze as Michael and Lucifer walked past him on their way to the office. _It’s now or never!_ He took in a deep breath. “Lucifer, if you’re not busy…”

“I’m sorry, Sandalphon. Whatever it is you need to discuss with Lucifer, could it wait until later? There are several urgent matters I need to discuss with him, particularly about one of the suppliers,” Michael sighed. “Their service has been rather lacking as of late.”

Lucifer smiled gently at him. “I promise I’ll listen to what you have to say when I’m done, Sandalphon.”

“Y-yeah. S-sure.”

Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer filed into the staff office, leaving Sandalphon in the empty cafe with Gran and Belial. He glanced over cautiously to Belial and let out a sigh of relief to find him preoccupied with his phone. Sandalphon picked up the dish cloth and returned to wiping down the counter, when he noticed Gran staring. He stopped and frowned at the young brunet. “What?”

Gran grinned impishly and leaned forward until he was on the counter, head resting on his hands. “So, what were you about to ask Lucifer?”

Sandalphon’s face flushed. “I wasn-”

“Were you gonna ask him out? Lyria told me you li-”

Sandalphon quickly covered Gran’s mouth with his hands. “Sh-shut up!” he hissed. “I wasn’t going to ask him anything!”

The scraping of chair legs on the tile floor signaled that Belial just got up from his corner. Sandalphon jumped up and eyed him warily as he sauntered over to the counter. “Yo, Sandy! Huh? What's got you all jumpy? It's not like I'm gonna do anything to you,” Belial scratched his head. “Lucy was having me check our Yelp reviews and, man, are your customer service skills shitty, Sandy.”

Sandalphon snorted. “I’m not putting up with your fake ass attempt of being the cafe owner.”

“Co-owner.”

“Still no.”

“You’re gonna scare off customers with that attitude.”

He crossed his arms, staring Belial down. “Good. They don’t deserve Lucifer’s coffee.”

“C’mon, something as simple as a smile’d work. Lemme see a smile, Sandy.”

“That’s sexual harassment.”

“What? For asking for a smile? Really?”

“Uh, it could be,” Gran paused. “But I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sandalphon smile before.”

Sandalphon scowled at Gran, but Belial only chuckled. “It’s easy. Just turn that frown upside down!”

Sandalphon’s frown deepened, and Belial shook his head. “Wrong direction, Sandy! C’mon, it’s easy! Give it a try!”

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as Sandalphon tried to force a smile. Gran burst into laughter as Belial frowned. “Hmm… now you just look like you’re about to murder someone. Such a pity when you’ve got such a cute face and a nice bod-”

Sandalphon’s mouth snapped back into a frown and he swiftly threw a fist into Belial’s stomach. A strangled moan spilled from Belial’s mouth as he doubled over in pain. “Always so violent, Sandy!”

Sandalphon quickly turned his attention to the pastry display. “I’m refilling these.” Sandalphon mumbled, as he grabbed the empty trays and retreated to the kitchen, ears burning.

  
  


Sandalphon was almost done angrily, but carefully, restocking the trays when his ears perked at the sound of Lucifer’s voice leaving the office. His heart started pounding. _They’re done with their meeting!_

He quickly piled the rest of the cookies onto the last platter before briskly walking out of the kitchen. Belial was at the register, forcing Sandalphon to squeeze past him to reach the pastry display. “I’m tellin’ ya, Lucy, when he finally does, his smile’s more likely to scare off customers.”

Sandalphon ducked his head as he started sliding the refilled trays back into place, trying to will his heart to calm down. “That’s odd,” Lucifer’s heavenly voice floated over from the table he was seated at, causing Sandalphon’s heart rate to spike even further. “Sandalphon is always smiling at work.”

Sandalphon carefully slid the last tray into the display and straightened the signage when the gentle notes of Lucifer’s voice continued. “He has such a lovely smile!”

Sandalphon jolted, his head slamming audibly into the top of the pastry display case. Belial brayed at the sound. A worried Gabriel peeked over the counter. “Sandalphon, are you all right?”

“Y-yes.” Sandalphon managed to squeak out, clutching his head in pain.

Her brows knit together in worry. “Are you sure? Let me get you some ice.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” he straightened up.

Belial was doubled over the register laughing. Sandalphon shot him a glare. “If you say so…” Gabriel didn’t look entirely convinced. “Come to think of it, isn’t your shift over? Will you make it to your class in time?”

Sandalphon glanced over at the wall clock. _Shit. I almost forgot._ He bolted into the staff lounge, shoving past Belial and quickly removing his apron as he went. “I think I can still make it!”

He grabbed his bookbag and hurried back out, slamming face first into the cafe door and crumpling to the ground. Belial wheezed. “Sandalphon?” came Gabriel’s worried voice.

Too embarrassed, Sandalphon wordlessly scrambled back to his feet and leaned into the push bar to open the door before speeding down the sidewalk with his face buried in his hands. _Shit shit shit shit shit! HOW COULD I BE SO UNCOOL IN FRONT OF LUCIFER!_ Sandalphon cried internally.

He wasn’t sure if Lucifer would still consider going out with him after that embarrassing display, but Sandalphon was determined to try asking Lucifer out again after class is over and his bruised ego healed a little.

But that opportunity didn’t come.

He sprinted back to the cafe the moment his last class let out, throwing open the door in his excitement and startling Djeeta at the register.

“Lucifer? He was still jet lagged and fell asleep,” Djeeta said as she continued drying the dishes. “Was there something you needed to tell him?”

“Oh. Not really,” Sandalphon’s shoulders sagged. “Did he get home safely?”

Djeeta shrugged. “I think so? Belial took him home.”

“Wait, _Belial?”_

“Yeah, I know, that was my reaction too when he said they live together,” she stacked the dried dishes onto the shelf. “But then he showed us his and Lucifer’s drivers licenses and the address matched.”

Sandalphon’s heart hit the ground.

Not literally.

Metaphorically.

But it might as well have been literally.

_There’s no way. They can’t be dating. Lucifer’s too good for that sack of shit._

“Sandalphon?”

Sandalphon stumbled out of the cafe and headed home in a daze.

  
  


Despite the fact that he woke up barely even feeling human, Sandalphon stumbled into the cafe the next morning, making a beeline to the coffee. The caffeinated elixir had barely even touched his tongue when he suddenly found himself lifted up into the air in the baker’s bear hug. “GOOD MORNING, SANDALPHON!” boomed Uriel.

Sandalphon sighed as he dangled limply in the air, some of his coffee sloshing out of the cup. “Morning…”

He attempted to bring the coffee to his lips, but his arms could barely reach over Uriel’s thick, muscular arms. “I DIDN’T SEE YOU YESTERDAY!”

“Can you please put me down?”

“YEAH! SORRY!”

The baker gently deposited him back onto the ground, and Sandalphon immediately took the chance to inhale his coffee. As he returned to the coffee station to refill his cup, a thought occurred to him. “Say, Uriel?”

“YEAH?”

Sandalphon winced. It was still far too early, and he still hasn’t gotten enough caffeine in him to handle Uriel’s boisterously cheerful voice just yet. “Did you know that Belial’s the cafe co-owner?”

The buff baker raised an eyebrow, folding his arms in front of his chest. “WELL YEAH. THE STUFF I BAKE ARE ALL HIS ORIGINAL RECIPES. THE GUY’S A WHATCHAMACALLIT? IT STARTS WITH A P?”

He took a sip of his coffee. “Prick?”  
  
“NO, NO. I MEAN THE FANCY WORD FOR PASTRY CHEF.”

“Oh, patissier?”

“YEAH. THAT!”

Sandalphon almost choked on his coffee as Uriel’s answer finally sank in. “Wait, you _knew_ he’s the co-owner?”

“THAT’S RIGHT.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“I THOUGHT EVERYONE KNEW?” Uriel scratched his head as he headed towards the cafe’s exit, giving Sandalphon a final hearty slap to his back. “ANYWAY I’M OFF! I MADE EXTRA LEMON COOKIES! HELP YOURSELF TO SOME! COFFEE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH’S NOT GOOD FOR YA.”

Gran bolted into the cafe just as Uriel left, breathing heavily. “S-sorry I’m late!” he huffed. “Vee wanted to pee on every tree on the way here. He normally doesn’t do that.”

Sandalphon stared at his empty cup when Belial popped out of the office. “Sandy!”

He was going to need more coffee. He could already feel his consciousness ascending to another plane.

Sandalphon poured himself another cup. 

Lucifer didn’t come in until long after the morning rush had ended. “Forgive me, it appears I am still jet lagged.”

Sandalphon looked over from the espresso machine. Lucifer certainly looked it. His normally impeccably groomed hair was slightly disheveled today, with tufts sticking out here and there. Sandalphon’s face flushed at the sight. There was something endearing about seeing this side of Lucifer.

But then his thoughts wandered back to the revelations he had last afternoon and his heart sank again. _It can’t be true, can it? Should I still ask him out anyway?_

“Sandalphon?”

He jumped at the sound of Lucifer’s exquisite voice. Even tired, Lucifer’s voice managed to retain its ethereal quality. Sandalphon swallowed nervously. “Y-yes, Lucifer?”

Lucifer beamed. Sandalphon felt his heart stop. “I would be delighted if you could make me a cup of coffee. House blend. Black, please.”

When he showed no sign of movement, Gran poked him hard in the ribs, snapping Sandalphon back to life. “R-right away!”

Sandalphon desperately tried to still his hands as he brought the coffee over to Lucifer along with a lemon cookie, setting them down in front of him. “Thank-you, Sandalphon.”

He watched anxiously as Lucifer brought the porcelain cup to his lips, sipping the coffee elegantly before taking a bite of the cookie. Sandalphon licked his own lips unconsciously as he stared at the delicate crumbs sticking to Lucifer’s lips. He steeled his nerves and took in a deep breath. “Lu-”

“Help! Uh, Sandalphon? Can you override this for me?”

Gran’s voice snapped Sandalphon out of his daze, causing him to almost drop his serving tray. He bit his lip and hurried back to Gran at the register. “Sorry, I fat fingered a key.”

“It’s fine.” Sandalphon sighed as he voided the sale.

He was about to return to Lucifer’s side when the phone suddenly rang. _What the hell is up with all these interruptions?_ Sandalphon gritted his teeth and picked up. “Cafe Ambrosia.”

“Are you guys open on that holiday next week?”

“No, we’re closed.”

“Are you sure?”

Sandalphon frowned. _It’s going to be one of_ those _customers, huh?_

“Yes, we’re closed on holidays.”

“I don’t know. Could you check to make sure?”

Sandalphon glowered at the handset. “I’m the manager. We’re closed on all holidays.”

“Did you check?”

“You know what, you’re right. We are going to be open.” Sandalphon replied dryly as he hung up the phone.

He caught Gran staring at him. “What? He thinks he knows our holiday hours better than I do.”

“Wasn’t Belial trying to make you improve your customer service, though?”

“Shut it.”

Gran grinned and made a zipping motion over his mouth. Sandalphon rolled his eyes and walked over to where Lucifer sat.

He paused. “Where’d Lucifer go?”

Gran pointed outside. “Outside. He said he was going to bring in all the dishes.”

Sandalphon was already out the door, dish cloth and spray bottle in hand, before Gran even finished his sentence. “Ah, Sandalphon!” Lucifer greeted him cheerily as he stacked the dirty dishes into the plastic tub. “Have you come to help me?”

“Y-yeah!” Sandalphon held up the spray bottle and dish cloth.

A delighted smile spread across Lucifer’s face. “Thank you.”

Indoors, Lucifer’s smile was dazzling, but in the sunlight, his smile was absolutely blinding. Sandalphon looked away, busying himself with cleaning the tables. His ears were in danger of becoming bright red. “Y-yeah.”

They both tidied in silence for a while, as Sandalphon desperately tried to gather his courage. _It’s now or never!_ Sandalphon took in a deep breath. “Luci-”

“Aren’t you so adorable?” Lucifer cooed. “I’ve missed you too, Vyrn.”

Sandalphon stared at the pomeranian with his mouth agape. _DAMN YOU, YOU CUTE BASTARD!_

Lucifer crouched down to pet Vyrn, laughing and cooing as the hyper pomeranian wriggled about happily trying to climb into Lucifer’s lap. Sandalphon clenched the dirty rag in his hand angrily. _How am I supposed to compete against that stupid ball of fluff?_

As though the puffball could read his mind, Vyrn cocked his head to look at Sandalphon and gave an energetic yip. He sighed and crouched down to give Vyrn a good scratch behind the ears. “Alright, come here, dumbass.”

Lucifer laughed, and Sandalphon was suddenly aware of how close his face was. “Is that what you call him?”

Sandalphon’s face flushed. “Y-yeah b-because he’s got such a stupid look in his face.”

“He does have that look, doesn’t he?” Lucifer smiled.

His smile was even more mesmerizing up close. His own heartbeat was becoming deafening. He couldn’t help staring at Lucifer’s lips. _I wonder how they’d feel like if I-_

Sandalphon squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to steer his thoughts away. _Maybe one more peek?_

He slowly opened an eye and spotted cookie crumbs sticking to the corner of Lucifer’s mouth. Sandalphon instinctively reached out to try and brush them away. _I wonder if…_

Lucifer suddenly stood up, so he quickly withdrew his hand and pretended to busy himself, his ears burning in embarrassment. “Shall we bring these back in?”

“Y-yeah!” Sandalphon squawked, jumping up.

He walked briskly over to the cafe door and held it open for Lucifer. As Lucifer carried the tub full of dishes through, Sandalphon took in a deep breath. “Lucifer, would you-”

“MY SON’S FAVORITE COLOR IS _BLUE!_ ” a customer shrieked. “HE. DOES. _NOT_. EAT. _RED._ COOKIES!”

“It’s all the same once it’s inside.” Belial shrugged.

_Who the hell was he to say my customer service sucks. His is way worse!_

He was only adding to the fire. There was no way that customer would be satisfied with that answer. Sandalphon could see Gran wincing from the cafe’s entrance. Sure enough, the woman began howling. “HOW DARE YOU! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I’M AN INFLUENCER WITH OVER 500 FOLLOWERS!”

Lucifer pushed the tub into Sandalphons arms. “I will handle this. Could you please take these into the kitchen for me?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Gran was standing as far away from the counter as he could. “Um, ma’am, all of the sugar cookies have red frosting on them today.”

Sandalphon glanced over at the customer as he carried the tub of dishes into the kitchen. Her son looked like he didn’t want to be there. He kind of felt bad for the kid. Lucifer placed himself between Gran and the customer. “Perhaps another cookie would be best? Everything we have here is baked on site, and I can vouch for their taste.”

Sandalphon set the tub into the sink before washing his hands as he looked around the kitchen. _Uriel usually bakes extras just in case we run out…_

“NO! IT HAS TO BE A SUGAR COOKIE! MY SON WILL NOT EAT ANYTHING OTHER THAN A SUGAR COOKIE!”

His eyes lit up when his eyes landed on a tray of unfrosted sugar cookies. Sandalphon dried his hands and rooted through the cabinets for frosting, finding a small container of blue frosting. Satisfied, he frosted the cookie before carrying it out to the register. “I found a blue one.”

The woman’s eyes snapped to his hands and let out an unholy shriek. “HOW DARE YOU OFFER _MY SON_ A CAR COOKIE?!”

Belial snickered from the bar seating he had been banished to. Sandalphon grit his teeth and tried to ignore him. “It’s the only sugar cookie shape we have in the kitchen.”

“IT HAS TO BE A PLANE COOKIE!”

Sandalphon’s eyes narrowed. “ _Excuse me? It’s blue like you wanted!_ ”

“IS THIS HOW YOU TREAT A CUSTOMER?” the customer bellowed. “YOU BETTER MARCH ON BACK THERE AND BAKE A FRESH BATCH OF COOKIES RIGHT NOW. AND YOU BETTER GIVE IT TO ME FOR FREE OR YOU BET I’LL TELL ALL MY FOLLOWERS ABOUT YOUR SHITTY SERVICE!”

Sandalphon lunged forward, but Gran pulled him back and dragged him into the break room. He was still snarling when Gran pushed him into the couch. “Please calm down, Sandalphon! It’s not worth it!”

“But she-”

Gran held him firmly on the couch. “I know she’s being a huge asshole right now, but if you hit her, it’ll only make it harder for Lucifer!”

Sandalphon stopped, blinking in shock as Gran’s words sank in. _That’s right…_

Gran breathed out a sigh of relief. “Stay here and cool off, alright? I’ll go call security.”

Gran left the break room to return to the front, leaving Sandalphon alone with his thoughts. _How many times has it been now?_ He bit his lip. _I’m always so hot-headed, I end up starting a fight before I realize it. But I never thought about how it’d affect Lucifer…_

Sandalphon stared at his clenched fists in his lap. _I’m only causing problems for Lucifer._

The sensation of the couch shifting and the clink of porcelain pulled him out of his thoughts. Lucifer had seated himself beside him and set a tray with two cups and saucers on the table in front of him. “Sandalphon,” Lucifer called out to him softly. “Thank you for helping.”

Sandalphon looked up at Lucifer and felt something wet on his cheek. _Shit. I’m crying?_ He quickly wiped his face with his sleeves. “Y-you’re problem. I-I mean no welco-” He covered his face. “You’re welcome!” Sandalphon coughed. “Did she leave?”

“Eugen and Rackam arrived and escorted her out,” Lucifer smiled serenely and handed Sandalphon a cup and saucer, which he took hesitatingly. “It’s for you. As thanks.”

“Oh.”

Sandalphon peered into the cup. The dark, amber liquid sloshed back and forth with a light ring of foam around the edge of the cup. Looking back up, he saw Lucifer pick up the second cup to drink, so Sandalphon brought the cup to his lips too.

He blinked in surprise before draining the whole cup. “How did it taste, Sandalphon?”

“It’s really delicious!” he remarked.

Lucifer’s face brightened immediately. Sandalphon looked away, his face burning. “I’m happy,” He heard the clink of porcelain when Lucifer set his cup back into its saucer. “It’s the beans that I picked up from my recent trip.”

“I really like it.” Sandalphon set his cup back down on his saucer and fiddled with the handle.

Lucifer passed a plate over to him. “Please take some cookies too, Sandalphon.”

Sandalphon reached out to take one when someone knocked on the wall. Belial leaned against the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt you love birds.”

He glared angrily at Belial. _Bullshit. You’re not the least bit sorry!_

Lucifer cocked his head to the side. “Love birds?”

Belial walked over to them pointing at the plate of cookies. “I’m just here to help myself to these clearly defective cookies.”

“I don’t believe they’re defective. Uriel does an excellent job of making sure each one is perfect.”

“Oh? The crazy bat was going on and on about how they were all defective because _OOOOOO_ how _dare_ we make planes _red_. Don’t we know that planes are _supposed_ to be blue? My 500 followers are gonna hear just how _incompetent_ this cafe is!”

Lucifer cocked his head to one side in confusion. “But planes come in many colors?”

“I mean, yes, but that wasn’t the point, Lucy.”

 _Should I just ask? I prefer asking when it’s just the two of us, but…_ He gathered his courage again. “Lucifer, would you like to-”

“Ah! That’s where you’ve been!” Lyria bounded into the breakroom with Djeeta following behind her. She held up her prized journal high above her head, grinning proudly. “I drew everyone as angels!”

Djeeta looked at him apologetically. “She was so excited when she finished, she wanted to come in and show everyone.”

Sandalphon’s shoulders slumped, but he scooted over on the couch to make space for them. Lyria sat between them and spread her journal open on the table, flipping to the page she wanted to show them. She looked directly at Sandalphon beaming as she pointed at her drawing. “I tried really hard to capture his radiance this time, so I gave Lucifer six pretty, white wings!”

Belial fell to the floor wheezing with laughter. Sandalphon buried his face into his hands, making a pained sound. He wanted to disappear.

“Ah, yes. Michael does have quite the fiery personality, doesn’t she?” Lucifer smiled as he flipped through the pages one by one, openly admiring each of her drawings. “Gabriel, on the other hand, has a very soothing personality. I can see why you associated her with water.”

Sandalphon peeked through his fingers at Lucifer. He was smiling so brightly. Sandalphon felt his heart clench. Whenever Lucifer smiled, it felt like the whole room was warmer and more welcoming. The gentle notes of Lucifer’s laughter bounced off the break room walls. “Uriel is surprisingly strong. That’s why you made him an earth angel, isn’t it?”

“Yeah!”

Another page turn.

“Raphael does have a piercing seriousness to him.”

“Mmhmm! He feels unpredictable, just like the wind! You know how when the wind suddenly changes directions all WHOOOOSH and you’re not ready and your hat just flies off so you have to chase after it?”

“Indeed,” Lucifer turned the page again, his eyes almost sparkling. “Ah.”

Sandalphon peered over to see what Lucifer was fixated on. Lyria really did have an uncanny ability to capture everyone’s personalities in her drawings. His face fell when his eyes reached her depiction of him. _Why’d she draw me all plain when everyone else looked so cool?_

Lucifer traced his finger over Lyria’s drawing of Sandalphon. “I like that you drew Sandalphon with sparrow wings. It’s very adorable.”

Sandalphon buried his face into his hands and curled up onto the couch. _It can’t possibly get any more embarrassing than this!_ Sandalphon straightened himself back up, took in a deep breath, and faced Lucifer. “Lucifer, would you like to go see Between Frost and Flame with me?”

The room went quiet and Sandalphon immediately wished he could take back his words. _What was I thinking? There’s no way Lucifer would want to go see a movie with someone like him. And I had to go say that in a full room too!_

“I don’t think I should,” He could feel his heart crashing through the ground. “I’m afraid I have not watched the other movies before it yet.”

It must have shown on his face because Lyria began flapping her arms in a panic looking back and forth between Lucifer and him. “Um… um... Lucifer!” Lyria waved her arms. “You don’t really need to watch the other ones to understand what’s going on! It’s a really good movie and it's very easy to follow! I really liked it! I think you would really, really enjoy it too!”

Lucifer smiled, gesturing to Lyria. “Ah, in that case, perhaps you should go with Lyria instead, Sandalphon. It seems that she really enjoyed that movie!”

Sandalphon staggered to his feet. Looking up at the wall clock, he realized his shift was already over. _Good_.

Lyria moved to stand up too, but he put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. _I expected my heart to get broken, but…_

He trudged over to his locker and retrieved his belongings. Belial tried to stop him as he left the break room. “Where’re you going?”

 _When did he even wander off?_ Sandalphon didn’t have the energy to deal with Belial. “Home.”

Even his own voice sounded defeated.

“But I just got the popcorn.”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

Sandalphon walked out the door.

  
\--------  
  
  


Lucifer gazed wistfully out the window after Sandalphon had left. They had all migrated back to the front of the cafe. “Do you think Sandalphon is taken?”

Lyria almost fell out of her seat. “Wh-what do you mean by that?”

“He has never spoken of having a boyfriend or a girlfriend,” Lucifer paused. “I suppose it could be that he prefers to keep his personal life and work separate. I can respect that.”

“L-L-Lucifer!” Lyria stammered, her eyes wide in horror. “Don’t tell me... you like Sandalphon?”

Lucifer smiled thoughtfully. “Hmm… I suppose I do. However, I don’t know if he already has someone. I don’t want to make it awkward for him.”

“F-first off, maybe you should ask him out on a date?” Lyria suggested. “That way… um… if he has someone, he can just turn you down?”

“Ah, an excellent idea, Lyria. What would one do on a date, though?”

“Y-you really don’t-” Lyria’s shoulders sagged, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. “Um, well… you could ask him to the movies, but…” Lucifer looked at her expectantly. “O-or go on a walk in the park? Oh! Maybe even feed the ducks there!”

Lucifer nodded excitedly. “That sounds like an excellent idea. I’ll be sure to ask him tomorrow.”

A loud crunch had Gran and Djeeta turning around. Belial shrugged with a mouthful of popcorn. “I grabbed some for earlier, but loverboy ran away. Would be a waste not to eat it.”

Gran frowned. “Where’d you even get that popcorn?”

Belial pointed a thumb towards the office. “Found it in a drawer. You expect me to watch a trainwreck like that without something to munch on?”

“Um… those were Michael’s expensive…”

“ _BELIAL!”_ Michael roared, looming over him.

“Oh shit. Uh, my bad?”

Belial sprinted off like his life depended on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somebody please help these dumbasses.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandalphon stared at the bag of frozen vegetables in his hands. “Um… Lucifer? What’s this for?”
> 
> “It’s for the ducks!” Lucifer replied brightly.
> 
> Sandalphon’s brow furrowed. “But why?”
> 
> “Bread is very unhealthy for ducks,” Lucifer began. “You see, it provides very little nutrition for them, which interferes with their healthy development.”
> 
> “Uh… I see.”

The alarm beeped obnoxiously as Sandalphon forced his puffy eyes open. He hardly slept the previous night after he had gotten his heart broken.

He reached over to his nightstand and picked up his phone, silencing the alarm. He let his arm drop back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. _I really don’t want to go to work._

Sandalphon rolled over onto his side, bringing his phone closer to his face. _Should I just call in sick?_

He should really get ready for work.

His face probably looked like he got dragged to hell and back. Sandalphon curled up tightly, covering his face with his hands as the tears spilled out anew. _God, no wonder Lucifer said no. I’m so fucking lame._

  
  


Sandalphon wasn’t entirely sure how he managed to get all the way to the cafe. He put one foot in front of the other, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the door. The glass windows and door reflected his face back at him.

Honestly, he looked awful, but at least the cold compress had taken down the swelling around his eyes a little. He pulled the door open. The bells at the top of the door jingled far too cheerfully for his liking. Gran popped out from underneath the counter. “Morning, Sandalphon!” He squinted at his face. “You don't look so good.”

Sandalphon wasn't in the mood to reply. He just went straight for the coffee. A huge, muscular arm popped into his view, waving a muffin in his face. “EAT THIS FIRST!”

Sandalphon sighed. “I don't eat breakfast, Uriel. Coffee's enough.”

“BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY!” he chided.

When Uriel refused to stop waving the muffin around in his face, Sandalphon relented and took it from him. “Better?”

Uriel frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “NOW EAT IT.”

Not in the mood to argue anymore, Sandalphon took a bite out of the muffin. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing the bite. “It’s coffee flavored?”

Satisfied, Uriel nodded before giving him a hearty slap on the back. “I THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE IT! _SEE?_ FEELING A LITTLE BETTER ALREADY?”

Sandalphon choked on the next bite. _Was it really that obvious to everyone?_

“SORRY ABOUT THAT!” Uriel gave him another slap on the back to help dislodge the muffin in his throat.

Sandalphon coughed and shook his head. “I’m okay.”

Once Uriel saw that Sandalphon had finished eating the entire muffin, he finally headed out of the cafe. “Say, you ever wonder what he does after he leaves?” Gran piped up as he watched the door shut.

Sandalphon shrugged as he chugged his second cup of coffee down. “Hit the gym?”

Gran stared in awe. “I wonder how much he lifts to get muscles that huge.”

  
  
Lucifer arrived after the morning rush again, apologizing profusely. “It appears that I still haven’t adjusted to being back yet.”

Sandalphon stared at his feet. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Lucifer. The rejection still felt too raw. “It’s fine. You just got back.”

“Sandalphon?”

Sandalphon looked up to find Lucifer staring at him expectantly. _God, why does he have to be so damn beautiful?_ “Y-yeah?”

“I would be thrilled if you would accompany me to our supplier today. We have been receiving the wrong deliveries lately, so I thought it would be better to pay them a visit.”

He nodded reluctantly. _Michael and Raphael were the ones to take care of it lately. I suppose it’s about time I got trained on how to do that._

“Excellent!” Lucifer beamed, patting the boxes stacked behind the counter. “Please take these boxes!”

Sandalphon blinked. “Wait, we’re going right now?”

Lucifer nodded. “I have also been meaning to thank the owner for her assistance in sourcing the coffee beans,” he slipped a tote bag over his shoulder. “They were of remarkable quality as expected.”

“What about Gran? He’ll be alone in the cafe if I leave now?”

“But Raphael is also in today.” Lucifer replied, pointing to a corner of the coffee station.

Sandalphon jumped at the sight of Raphael standing stoically in the corner Lucifer pointed at. “I-I didn’t see him. Uh, I guess I can go then. Should I take off my apron before we leave?”

Lucifer smiled radiantly. “That would be best, if you do!”

Gran covered his mouth and struggled not to laugh, but Sandalphon saw and lightly punched him on the shoulder. “Sh-shut it!”

Red-faced, Sandalphon threw off his apron in the staff break room. He paused for a moment before grabbing the hand truck from the supply closet.

“Excellent idea!” Lucifer remarked, when Sandalphon emerged from the break room. “I knew I could count on you!”

He piled the boxes onto the hand truck and rolled it outside the cafe as Lucifer held the door open for him.

Sandalphon squinted at the sky as he left the cafe. _The sun is too damn bright._

Lucifer was humming happily to himself, only pausing to turn back towards Sandalphon. “It is such a beautiful day today, isn’t it, Sandalphon?”

Sandalphon looked away from his gaze nervously. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”

They both walked in relative silence, the hand truck rattling every time it passed over a crack. _Shit. This is too awkward._

Sandalphon braced himself and finally snuck a peek at Lucifer’s face, his grip on the hand truck tightening. Of course Lucifer would be smiling. He felt his heart leap into his throat, heat seeping into his face. _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

Lucifer looked down and beamed, catching Sandalphon’s gaze. Sandalphon quickly shifted his gaze. “Let’s take a detour this way.” Lucifer pointed to his right.

“S-sure!” Sandalphon squeaked as he turned the hand truck to cross the street with Lucifer.

  
  


Sandalphon wasn’t sure what to think when Lucifer decided that they were going to stop and take a break in the municipal park. He stood there completely dumbfounded when Lucifer had suddenly stopped at a bench by the pond. Lucifer shrugged the tote bag off his shoulder, setting it on the bench before stretching his arms and sighing in relief.

When Lucifer beckoned him over, Sandalphon finally parked the hand truck next to the bench and joined him. “I’m not really tired yet, Lucifer. The boxes are on the dolly, so it’s not heavy at all. We can keep going-” Sandalphon was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a bag of frozen peas in his field of vision. “Uh…”

“Then rest your arms for a while. It’s a nice day, isn’t it?”

Lucifer smiled softly, shaking the bag of frozen peas at him until he took it. Satisfied, Lucifer reached into his tote bag and pulled out a second bag of frozen peas. Sandalphon stared at the bag of frozen vegetables in his hands. “Um… Lucifer? What’s this for?”

“It’s for the ducks!” Lucifer replied brightly.

Sandalphon’s brow furrowed. “But why?”

“Bread is very unhealthy for ducks,” Lucifer began. “You see, it provides very little nutrition for them, which interferes with their healthy development.”

“Uh… I see.”

“Uneaten bread also leads to more algae growth in the pond.”

Sandalphon nodded his head slowly. “That makes sense?”

Lucifer smiled again, sending Sandalphon’s heart back up into his throat. “Shall we?”

Dazed, Sandalphon found himself following Lucifer to the edge of the pond flinging fistfuls of frozen peas to the resident ducks. _But why are we feeding the ducks?_

Sandalphon sighed. He probably wouldn’t get much of an answer even if he did ask that. He threw another handful of frozen peas into the pond and the ducks happily paddled over to gobble them up. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips. _Maybe this isn’t all that bad._

Over the happy quacking and splashing from the ducks, Sandalphon’s ears picked up Lucifer’s gentle laughter. He slowly turned around, and the moment he laid eyes on Lucifer, he felt his breath catch.

Even though his hair was slightly disheveled and there were bags under his eyes, Lucifer was still the most beautiful person he had ever seen. The way his eyes crinkled up when he smiled made Sandalphon’s heart stop. “Sandalphon?”

Sandalphon snapped out of his daze at the sound of his name. _Shit! Shit! Shit! He caught me staring at him!_

“Are you alright?”

Sandalphon swallowed. The words welled up in him before he had a chance to process them. “Do you have someone that you like?” he blurted.

Lucifer’s features softened and a brilliant smile bloomed on his face. “Of course!”

Sandalphon hadn’t expected Lucifer to answer him so quickly. He chewed on his lower lip, pondering his next question. “Is it,” Sandalphon took in a deep breath. “Is it Belial?”

His heart sank when Lucifer’s face morphed into a mixture of shock and horror. _I knew it._

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry. The bag of frozen peas shook in his trembling hands. “Sandalphon!”

Sandalphon suddenly felt the breath get knocked out of him as two large somethings struck his body and he tumbled to the ground face first. As he tried to get back up on his feet, he felt something large and heavy press down on his back, flattening him to the ground. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH DYRN! LYRN! CONJUNCTION! NOOOOOOOOOO!” a woman’s voice cried out.

He flailed around in the dirt, trying to right himself as two excitable huskies swarmed him and lapped at his face, but with the malamute sitting on him, Sandalphon could only manage to twist his body around. “Sandalphon! Are you alright?”

“I’m o-” A large wet tongue interrupts him as the malamute gives him a messy lick to his face. “Help…”

There were crunching sounds near his head, but Sandalphon couldn’t see what was happening. There wasn’t much he could do beyond continue flailing about helplessly beneath the larger dog. “Hold on, Sandalphon.”

Lucifer and a tan, silver-haired woman lifted the malamute up together, giving him just enough space to roll out from under the enormous dog. Sandalphon felt a hand wrap around his wrist and Lucifer pulled him to his feet. The two huskies whined as they tried to jump up onto him, but with Lucifer’s arm wrapped around his waist for support, Sandalphon was safe from getting knocked over again. Sandalphon’s thoughts froze and heat seeped into his face as his eyes darted down at his waist. _Lucifer’s hand is-_

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” the silver-haired woman apologized, snapping Sandalphon out of his thoughts. “They suddenly bolted off and I lost my grip on their leashes!”

Sandalphon straightened up, brushing the dirt and grass bits off his clothes. “I’m f-fine.”

She managed to get the two huskies under control, scolding them gently. “Dyrn, Lyrn, no jumping strangers!” She eyed the malamute, who sat calmly next to them. “You, too, Conjunction!” The huskies whined in response and pawed at the ground while the malamute gave a deep woof. “I know you’re both just trying to be friendly, but no one likes surprise tackles!” She turned her attention back to Sandalphon. “I’m really, really sorry! They’re usually very well behaved! Are you sure you’re okay?”

Sandalphon shook his head as he tentatively reached out to give one of the huskies a pat on its head. “It’s fine. I was mostly surprised.”

The woman sighed in relief. “Thank goodness,” she paused to dig through her purse and produced a business card. “Please let me know if you find out you were injured.” Sandalphon tried to refuse, but she pressed her business card into his hand, shaking her head. “No, I must insist!”

“R-right.”

He briefly looked at the business card before pocketing it. _Zooey, senior accountant, huh._

Loud crunching sounds drew Sandalphon’s attention to near his feet where the two huskies were eating the frozen peas. “DYRN! LYRN! NO!” the woman cried out as she yanked the bag of peas away from them.

But it was too late. They had already eaten all of the peas, leaving the bag completely empty. She immediately tried to fish through her purse again. “Oh, I’m so, so, so sorry! Please let me pay for that!”

“It’s alright, ma’am. We still have another bag,” Lucifer piped up, reminding Sandalphon just where Lucifer’s hand was. “Dyrn and Lyrn, was it? They’re both so full of energy!”

“Aren’t they? The total opposite of Conjunction!” The woman gave the malamute a scratch under its chin. “Not to say that this one isn’t a troublemaker either.”

Sandalphon carefully took the empty bag out of her hands and moved to toss it into a nearby trash can, breaking free from Lucifer. “Uh, let me take care of that,” The woman started fishing through her purse again. He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m really okay.”

“I understand, but... here,” the woman held out a packet of wet wipes. “Dyrn, Lyrn, and Conjunction were... liberal with greeting you.”

Sandalphon mumbled a thanks and took a few to wipe down his face. He eyed the three dogs nervously, but both Dyrn and Lyrn appeared to be content with just pawing at the ground and whining. Sandalphon stiffened when Conjunction suddenly stood up and trundled over towards him. The massive malamute planted itself in front of him and gave a soft boof as Sandalphon tentatively scratched its head. “Dyrn, Lyrn, Conjunction,” Zooey called out, her hands on her hips. “Come on! Let’s go finish up our walk and leave these two to their date!”

Sandalphon choked. “I-it’s... We’re not on a da-”

“That’s alright,” Lucifer beamed brightly. “It is about time we headed over to the supplier before she leaves for the day.”

They both waved as the huskies and malamute tugged Zooey along, with Sandalphon waving stiffly as he continued to process what she had said. “Would you like half?”

Sandalphon snapped out of his thoughts. “H-huh?”

Lucifer shook his bag of frozen peas. Not sure how else to respond, Sandalphon held out his hands. “Uh, sure.”

Once the remaining frozen peas were in the bellies of the happy ducks, the two of them set off to the supplier.

  
  


“Welcome to SieroMart!” The small woman greeted them from her perch on a high stool.”We’ve got everything you need from A to Z!”

Sandalphon squinted as he wheeled in the hand truck. _Was that a huge green parrot on her head?_

“Ah, Sierokarte! The coffee plantations you connected me with were excellent as usual.”

Sierokarte leaned against the counter, resting her chin on her hands. “Hu hu hu hu hu! Long time no see, Lucifer! How’ve you bean?”

“I still feel jet lagged,” Lucifer laughed. “This is one of my employees, Sandalphon.”

Sandalphon shook her hand. “Nice to meetcha!”

Lucifer fished through his tote and produced a small bag of roasted coffee beans. “A small thank you for your information.”

The small woman whistled excitedly as she took the bag. “You didn’t have to come all the way here to give these to me!”

“Ah, well, that was not the only reason for my visit,” Lucifer looked towards Sandalphon and beckoned him over. “My staff informed me that our supply orders have been getting mixed up during my absence. Unfortunately, it appears to persist.”

Sandalphon brought the hand truck around the counter as Lucifer produced his order invoice. Sierokarte hopped off her stool and checked the contents of the boxes against the invoice, parrot still firmly perched on her head. “Hmmm… let’s see here,” she taps her record book. “The delivery slip wasn’t signed for.”

Lucifer shook his head. “The shipment was simply left behind the counter during rush. None of my employees saw anyone deliver them,” he peered at the delivery records and pointed to several lines. “It was the same for these deliveries.”

Sierokarte squinted at the lines. “Let’s see who did deliveries those days,” she paused, a frown forming. “Ah, yes, you can leave those boxes here and come with me.”

She locked up the front and led them to the warehouse behind the building. Sandalphon was able to hear a lively conversation before they even rounded the corner. “So, like, that’s when I swoop in and save Freezie from the baddies. Like, imma drop down from the ceiling all-”

Another man’s voice interrupted him. “Ya gotta have a bitchin’ line when you drop down!”

The previous man’s voice agreed enthusiastically. “Yeah, so, like, imma drop down from the ceiling all, ‘Mind if I drop in?’ and then I kick all of their asses all _HIIIYAAAH!_ ”

As they rounded to corner, a third man’s voice tsked in disagreement. “Nah, Tommy. Ya gotta-”

“Oh hohoho! It’s always so lively down here with you three!” Sierokarte interrupted as they came into full view of three scruffy young men seated on a stack of crates. “Whatcha talking about, Lowain?”

The man seated at the top of the stack looked up and grinned. “Oh, ‘sup, boss lady! Tommy here,” he gestured at the other man. “Was tellin’ us ‘bout how he’s gonna rescue Freezie from some baddie-”

“Yeah,” Tommy chimed in. “They’re, like, from this terrorist cell. Freezie catches wind of their, like, operation. Like, they were gonna invade Port Breeze with a robot army from, like, the future or something, so Freezie tries to stop them, but, like, they catch her off-guard with, like, underhanded tactics and captured her,” he paused, clenching his fist. “But just when she thinks it’s all hopeless and, like, the city was aboutta get rekt, I drop in from the ceiling and rescue her. Then we, like, make out in the sunset.”

Sandalphon’s head spun as he tried to process everything said. Sierokarte laughed. “Well, well, well, that does sound exciting.”

He was honestly impressed she was able to follow all that nonsense. Lowain beamed. “Yeah! What’cha come down here for, boss lady?”

Sierokarte held up the delivery slip and the three men hopped down from the crates to get a closer look. She gestured at Sandalphon and Lucifer. “You three have been delivering for these gentlemen here?”

The three leaned in and squinted at the delivery slip for a moment before Lowain piped up, “Yep! That’s us!”

“Is that so?”

The third man nodded emphatically. “Yeah. We totally did the deliveries that day in, like, record time too!”

The three whooped loudly and jumped up into the air, bumping their chests together. Sandalphon caught sight of Lucifer’s brow knitting in concern. Sierokarte cleared her throat, prompting the three men to stop whooping. “They’ve been receiving the wrong order _and_ you didn’t have them sign off on the deliveries either. Did something happen?”

“We can explain!” The third man replied quickly.

“Yeah, like Sammy said. We’ve got a totally good reason!” Tommy chimed in.

“It was,” Lowain smiled dreamily. “For love.”

“What,” Sandalphon sputtered. “What is this nonsense?”

“You see, our bro, Lowain, met this real babe,” Sammy continued. “So like, her name’s Kat, and man is she smokin’ hot!”

“Like, my heart totally skipped a beat!” Lowain added.

“Yeah, so she, like, works for the popo,” Tommy continued. “And like, every Thursday, she always passes by that candy store at lunch, so like, we do our morning deliveries hella fast so our buddy could have the chance at confessing to her.”

“It was, like, totally love at first sight, dude.” Lowain sighed.

Both Sammy and Tommy sighed. “It’s been ages, but, like, lover boy here couldn’t get it together to ask her out.”

The three delivery men dissolved into indecipherable chatter again as Sierokarte and Lucifer looked down at the delivery slips. Sandalphon snuck a glance and saw that the days matched up with the misdelivered supplies. Sierokarte sighed in exasperation and bowed deeply to Lucifer. The parrot squawked and fluttered to her shoulder. “I’m so sorry about that! I’ll waive the delivery fee for the next two months to make up for that!”

“Ah, it’s fine. It seems we already sorted out what happened.”

Sierokarte shook her head. “I insist! Let’s see about fixing this delivery for now.” She paused, looking over to the three men. Lowain was looking off into the distance with a lovestruck look in his eyes. “I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again!”

Despite Lucifer’s protests, Sierokarte ended up throwing in a few extras with the rectified supplies when he declined her offer for free delivery again.

As they headed back to the cafe, Sandalphon kept stealing glances at Lucifer. He wasn’t sure why Lucifer would turn down all of Sierokarte’s attempts to apologize for the wrong deliveries. It didn’t feel like good business practice to him. Sandalphon looked down, watching the boxes rattle with every bump in the sidewalk the wheels rolled over. _I guess I don’t understand Lucifer at all._

“Sandalphon?”

Sandalphon jumped at the sound of his voice. “Y-yeah?”

Lucifer pointed at a nearby storefront. “Would you like some? I’ve been meaning to try this place.”

Sandalphon looked up at the signage. _Ring Ring Ring! Ge-La-To!_ “Oh, it’s that famous gelato shop.”

“Shall we?”

“I guess?”

Lucifer held the door open for Sandalphon to pull the full hand truck through. A small girl jumped up and down behind the counter with joy at the sound of the door’s jingling. “Ring ring ring, someone’s at the door! Ring-a-ling-a-ling! Lily’s never met them before!”

Sandalphon paused. “H-huh?”

The older girl next to her smiled. “Ah, th-that’s just her way of greeting customers,” she pointed at the door behind them. “I tried putting up a sign explaining it, but it’s not that easy to see coming in, is it?”

“O-oh.”

Sandalphon and Lucifer turned around and read the sign. Sandalphon’s face flushed as he read the prompt. He shot a look at the girls behind the counter. Lily swayed back and forth in excitement behind the counter. _There’s no way in hell I’m doing that! Who would do something so embarrassing like that?_

“Ring-a-ling-a-ling, it’s Lucifer!”

Sandalphon could swear that Lucifer’s melodic voice had just stopped his heart and sent him to the afterlife. “R-...ring-a-ling-a-ling, it’s Erin.” The older girl’s introduction snapped him out of his daze. “I-it’s nice to meet you.”

He felt the shorter girl’s gaze on him. “I-I’m not…” She smiled expectantly at him, still bouncing happily behind the counter. She reminded him of Lyria.

Sandalphon sighed. He could feel his face heat up from the embarrassment. “R… ring-a-ling-a-ling… i-it’s Sandalphon…”

The smaller girl cheered happily. “Are you going to try Lily’s ge… gela… ice cream today?” She beamed brightly. “That makes Lily so happy!”

The older girl placed a hand on Lily’s shoulder, calming her down slightly. “I can take your order when you’re ready.”

The two looked over the flavors in the display, mulling over the choices. Sandalphon kept sneaking glances at Lucifer’s face. _I need to stop doing that. He’s going to notice and then he’s going to get creeped out because of you-_

Lucifer looked up from the display, causing Sandalphon to jump and quickly look away. “Do you have any recommendations?”

The small girl raised her hand excitedly. “Um, Lily recommends the sea salt coffee! It sounds very weird, but it’s very yummy! It tastes like coffee, but it’s a little bit salty, but not too salty! Lily guarantees you will like it or your money back!”

The older girl gently tapped Lily on the shoulder. “How about a sample instead?”

“That would be wonderful,” Lucifer remarked before turning to him.

Sandalphon felt his face flush. “Um, me too. I guess.”

“Lily will get the spoons!” He watched in mild amusement as Lily reached out into the display to scoop out samples of the gelato, her tiny body trembling from the strain. Beaming brightly, Lily handed them the samples. “Here you go!”

Sandalphon gave the spoon an experimental lick, unsure of what to expect. “Hmm…” Lucifer hummed next to him.

“Um… um… if you don’t like it, Lily also recommends the cookies and cream!” She points at another flavor. “The chocolate is also yummy! And the strawberry! Oh! The raspberry is yummy too! And the hazelnut! Vanilla is yummy if you like simple!”

Sandalphon frowned as he followed where she pointed. “Isn’t that just all the flavors in the display?”

Lily beamed. “Yes! Because Lily likes them all!”

Lucifer turned around and smiled radiantly at him. “I think I’m going to go with their sea salt coffee flavor. Which one would you like?”

Sandalphon’s heart leapt into his throat and he froze, unsure of what to do. “Sea salt coffee sounds good.”

“Cone or cup?” The older girl asked as she moved to scoop the gelato.

“Would you be alright with a cup too, Sandalphon?”

Sandalphon dug out his wallet from his pocket. “Uh… cone, please.”

Lucifer shook his head, pushing Sandalphon’s hand back to his pocket. “It’s my treat.”

“Um. Okay.”

Sandalphon wandered back to the hand truck and watched as Lily hopped up on a step stool to check Lucifer out. “Thank you for coming! Lily is very happy!”

Lucifer carried their gelato over as Sandalphon started to maneuver the hand truck out the door. Once he cleared the door, Lucifer handed him the cone, which he took in his free hand. “Thanks.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Sandalphon’s face flushed anew, as he tried to distract his mind with the gelato. He absently ate the gelato as they headed back towards the cafe, desperately trying not to look at Lucifer.

It wasn’t too difficult to do when the gelato was surprisingly delicious. Sandalphon had polished off the rest of his gelato by the time they reached the cafe.

Vyrn yipped happily from where he was tied to the tree in front, straining at his leash to jump at Sandalphon. He popped the last of the cone into his mouth and tossed the wrapper into a nearby trash can. “Sorry, dumbass. I don’t think you’re allowed to have coffee,” he parked the hand truck and stooped down to give the pomeranian a chin scratch. “You’ll have to make do with this.”

Vyrn whimpered and wriggled about as Sandalphon spoiled the pomeranian. Lucifer was staring at him intently when he looked up. “Sandalphon.”

“Oh yeah. I should probably bring this into the cafe, huh?”

He moved to stand up when he noticed that Lucifer had stooped down too. His heart skipped a beat. _No, no. He’s just going to pet Vyrn too. That’s all! Nothing to get all worked over!_

“V-Vyrn really l-likes it when you scratch under his ch-”

Lucifer pressed a thumb against the corner of his lips, wiping at it with a smile. “You had some gelato on your face.”

Sandalphon shrieked and bolted into the tree. Startled, the pomeranian barked, drawing a confused Gran out of the cafe. “W-will you look at the time! My shift’s over! Gotta get to class!” he squeaked as he picked himself up from the ground and sprinted off in embarrassment.

\--------

Lyria’s brow knitted in worry when she dropped by the cafe after choir practice to find a very gloomy Lucifer sitting in a corner. “What happened, Lucifer? Are you alright?”

The sigh that escaped from Lucifer’s mouth almost sounded as though life were seeping out of his body. Lyria gave a panicked squeak and rushed over to him after she quickly waved at Djeeta behind the counter. “Do you… do you want to talk?”

Lucifer slouched over the table. “I don’t think Sandalphon likes me. He didn’t seem to enjoy our date.”

“I don’t think that’s true! Maybe he's just too shy?” Lyria tried consoling him.

“Nothing went well.”

“Um… do you want to tell me what you think didn’t go well with the date?”

Lucifer sank further into the table, looking like a wilted flower. “I took him to the park to feed the ducks when we were on the way to the cafe’s supplier when three dogs barreled into him and knocked him over.”

Djeeta groaned from the register as Lyria gasped. “Wait. Lucifer, what happened?”

Lucifer looked up at her from the table. “Three dogs jumped Sandalphon,” he paused. “Ah, not to worry. They were not vicious at all. Just very friendly. Sandalphon was not hurt, but I think it might have traumatized him.”

Lyria shook her head. “No no no. You said you were on your way to the supplier?”

Lucifer nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“No wonder he didn’t enjoy the date!” Lyria cried. “I don’t think he knew it was a date at all!”

“But I took him to the park like you suggested?” Confusion was all over his face. “Is that not a date?”

“Of course not!” Lyria shook her head even harder. “He’d see it as work-related because he was still on the clock!”

Realization dawned on Lucifer, and his face brightened. “Ah, I see!”

“N-next time, you need to ask him out on his day off!”

As if on cue, the cafe’s door jingled open and Sandalphon slunk in sheepishly. “I-I forgot my school bag.”

Djeeta snorted. “And you went to class without it? Did running into the tree knock some brain cells out?”

“Sh-shut it!” Sandalphon shot her a glare as he walked past her to the staff room. “It was just a lecture today, so I took notes on my phone!”

Lyria nudged Lucifer and whispered to him, “It’s your chance! Ask him out properly!”

Lucifer nodded as he straightened up his posture, waiting for Sandalphon to come back out. The moment the brunet strode out of the staff room, Lucifer jumped up. The chair he was sitting in clattered as it fell over on its side. “Sandalphon, wait!”

Sandalphon jumped, nearly knocking over a nearby chair. Lyria tried to stifle a giggle as his face quickly turned red. To his credit, Sandalphon didn’t bolt off. “Y-yes, Lucifer?”

“I understand that tomorrow is your day off?”

Sandalphon shifted the bag on his shoulder nervously. “Y-yeah.”

“If you’re free, would you like to accompany me to Cafe Kitten?”

“Oh, the new cafe that opened up nearby?”

“Yes. I’ve been meaning to pay them a visit.”

Sandalphon paused, adjusting the strap on his shoulder again. “Uh, sure. I don’t have anything planned. What time?”

Lyria grinned when she saw Lucifer back to his cheerful self. “Shall we meet there at ten in the morning?”

“Okay,” Sandalphon fished out his phone from his pocket, tapping the screen a few times before looking up. “I’ll see you there then. I’m headed off for now.”

Lyria looked over at Lucifer and threw her thumbs up at him once Sandalphon left the cafe.

Lucifer was beaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Lowain bros were so hard to write dialogue for. I was pretty much stuck on this chapter for a really long time as a result.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer and Sandalphon drink coffee together.

Trying to put on his heels one-handed was proving far more difficult than Sandalphon expected. One hand was preoccupied with holding his phone to his ear when he dropped his heels again. He swore and stooped down to retrieve it. “Oh my, it sounds like you’re in a hurry, Sandalphon!” the voice on the other line chirped. “Did I call you at a bad time?”

He thrust his foot into one of the heels and zipped it up. “Uh, not really. You just called me when I was about to head out. I still have time.”

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to put on your shoes while hopping around on one foot again.”

His face flushed and he sat down near the front door to put on his other heel. He could hear her chuckling. “I’m n-not!”

“Mmhmm. I thought so,” she giggled softly.

Sandalphon quickly tried to change the topic. “What’s up, mom? Why’d you call? Are you okay? You’re not in the hospital again are you?”

“I’ve been doing wonderfully,” she replied. “I just wanted to check up on you. Have you been eating well?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Sleeping properly? I know that working and going to class at the same time can be very rough. Are you sure you don’t want an allowance?”

Sandalphon zipped up his last heel. “I’m 26!”

“I know. But you’re still my son,” he could almost hear her smiling from the other line. “I’m just worried because you had a rough time with the other places.”

“I’ve been doing better at this place.”

“Oh! The cafe?”

“Y-yeah,” Sandalphon scratched his nose with his free hand. “It’s not a bad job. The work is actually kind of fun and the boss is chill.”

She sighed audibly in relief. “Thank goodness! It makes me so happy that you’re doing well. Maybe I should visit the cafe some time!”

“Y-you don’t have to push yourself, mom!” he stammered. “I’m about to head out so-”

She laughed. “Ah shall we reschedule our lunch then?”

“Yes!” Sandalphon paused. “I mean, no. I forgot to tell you that the boss wanted me to go with him today to check out the new cafe that opened up nearby. I can still make it! I’ll just be a little late.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, it makes sense to check out any new competitors to see how we measure up against them, you know?”

His mother giggled. “Are you sure it’s not a date?”

“Of course not!” Sandalphon sputtered. “I-I’ll call back later when I’m on my way over! I’m gonna hang up now. Bye, mom!”

He quickly hung up before she could say anything and shoved the phone into his pocket.

Flustered, he pushed himself up from the floor and fumbled with the door handle. “There’s no way someone like Lucifer would go out on a date with me. He’s way out of my league...”

  
  


Sandalphon immediately felt underdressed when he saw Lucifer in front of Cafe Kitten. He was wearing a blue blazer over a pristine white turtleneck. Sandalphon looked down at his hastily thrown on hoodie and jeans. _Ah shit. Was this place high-end?_

Lucifer’s face brightened the moment he saw him. “Sandalphon!”

“Ah shit. Am I late?” Sandalphon pulled out his phone to check the time.

“Oh, not at all. I couldn’t help myself, so I got here early.”

“Oh,” Sandalphon put his phone back into his pocket. “Uh, sorry for making you wait, anyway.”

“Not at all!” Lucifer shook his head as he opened the door for him. “Please. Shall we?”

As he walked through the door, his heels clicked against the dark hardwood flooring and he could hardly refrain from whistling as he took in the cafe’s interior. The interior lighting was kept low to take advantage of the natural lighting granted by the cafe’s large windows. Sandalphon was admiring the cat illustrations all over the chalkboard walls when a woman cheerily greeted them. “Hi!” her voice trilled pleasantly. “Welcome to Cafe Kitten! Feel free to have a seat anywhere! I’ll be right with you!”

Sandalphon silently huffed. _Is that what that horny bastard meant by my customer service is shit?_

He made a mental note to maybe consider what Belial said. “Shall we sit by the window?”

Sandalphon snapped out of his thoughts. “Uh sure, I guess.”

Lucifer pulled out a chair and gestured to Sandal. “Thanks?”

He sat down and ran his fingers against the surface of the table. Both the tables and chairs were made of some kind of nice wood, but Sandalphon wasn’t knowledgeable enough on that to pin down which type. His fingers struck the menu on the table and his eyes bugged out. _Shit. Their menu looks insanely nice. How’d they afford a location like this_ and _get menus like these made?!_

“They have quite the selection, don’t they?” Lucifer mused.

 _Oh right, they’re here to see what’s_ _on the competition’s menu._ Sandalphon coughed. “Y-yeah. I’m surprised.”

He quickly looked through the menu. A prickling fear crept up his spine. He could barely recognize any of the drinks or blends on the list. _Shit… this is it. Lucifer took me here to test me on what I know about coffee._ His hands trembled.

“Ah, it’s fake!” Sandalphon jumped at Lucifer’s voice.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have put down “extremely knowledgeable about coffee and coffee making.” Why’d I have to be so fucking stupid?! You’re only supposed to lie about small things on your resumé! Now he’s going to find out the truth that you know jack shit and you’re getting fired!_

“It looked so realistic, but when I touched it, I was surprised that it wasn’t a real plant!”

Sandalphon let out a shaky sigh when he looked up to see Lucifer gently poking at the fake succulent sitting on their table. “Yeah… it really does look real.” He stealthily eased his phone out of his pocket and quickly pulled up his coffee notes. “Th-there’s so many options, I’m having a hard time figuring out what to get.”

Lucifer hummed in agreement. “I’m not so sure what to get myself either.”

The silence was deafening. Sandalphon inconspicuously peeked under the table as he went down the menu and tried to look up the various blends online. None of the descriptions he found seemed to help him much. _This is what I get for lying about knowing a lot about coffee,_ Sandalphon quietly lamented. _What the hell does “bright acidity” even fucking mean?!_

He swallowed nervously. _What if I went with the tasting set? Would that be too obvious that I have no clue?_

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to something on the menu. Sandalphon frowned. _This is either a really bad idea, or a really good idea._

“Sorry for the wait!” the waitress set two glasses of ice water in front of them. “Are you ready to order?”

“Not at all,” Lucifer reassured her. “I’m ready.” 

Sandalphon nodded. “Yeah.”

“Alright, what can I get for you boys?”

“I would like the tasting set, please.” Lucifer looked at him meaningfully.

“Sure thing!” The pink-haired waitress scribbled his order onto her notepad. “How about you?”

Sandalphon bit his lip. _Okay, so Lucifer went for the tasting set. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad choice after all._

But his eyes were drawn back to the menu item in question, curiosity burning at the back of his mind. He pointed to the menu. “Can I get the sparkling espresso?”

“Okay, so it’s one tasting set and a sparkling espresso!” She took the menus from them and tucked her notepad into her apron pocket. “I’ll be right back!”

Sandalphon fidgeted in his seat, trying to look everywhere but at Lucifer. “Sparkling espresso is such an interesting choice!”

 _Shit. Was that a mistake after all?_ He cleared his throat nervously. “I’ve never heard of something like it before, so I thought I’d try it?”

Lucifer beamed brightly. Or maybe that was just the sunlight coming through the windows making him seem so radiant. “I wish I had thought of it myself!” Lucifer sighed. “There were simply so many choices, I couldn’t decide in the end. The tasting set seemed to be the best option in the end.”

“I-I see…”

Lucifer cleared his throat. “Are classes going well for you? The semester should almost be over, I believe?”

Sandalphon looked up from fussing with his napkin. “Uh… yeah. My last final will be before the holiday.”

“How wonderful! Do you already have plans for after the semester?”

“Not yet,” he tore a piece off his napkin. “Maybe update my portfolio. I haven’t done that in a while.”

“Alright, we have the tasting set,” the waitress placed a narrow tray with a set of small cups in front of Lucifer. She set a tall glass and straw in front of Sandalphon. “And a sparkling espresso. If you boys have any questions, just give me a holler!”

Lucifer’s eyes darted back and forth eagerly between the cups in front of him. “How exciting! I’m not sure which one to start with.”

Sandalphon pulled the glass in to take a closer look at it. There was a layer of something white sitting on top of the fizzing drink. He took the straw and swiped some of it up to taste. _Salty._

Well, whatever it was, it wasn’t whipped cream. Shrugging, he stirred it into the drink and took a large sip.

He gagged.

“Sandalphon, are you alright?”

Unwilling to make a scene in front of Lucifer, he forced himself to swallow the vile liquid. “I-I’m fine,” Sandalphon scowled. “I wasn’t prepared for how it’d taste.”

“Was it not to you liking?”

He shook his head. “It’s weirdly sour.”

“May I?” Lucifer gestured towards the glass.

“If you want to… It doesn’t taste very good.”

Sandalphon looked on nervously as Lucifer took the glass from him and took a sip. He watched as the foul liquid crept up the straw, bracing for Lucifer’s reaction. His face fell, when Lucifer’s expression was unchanged. _Shit… did it taste fine after all?_

He frantically searched Lucifer’s face for an answer when it struck him. Lucifer sat frozen in place and the drink’s level remained unchanged within the glass.

Sandalphon paused. _Wait, no._

Now that he was looking more closely, Lucifer’s expression was _not_ unchanged. Sandalphon felt his heart leap up his throat at the realization. There was just the barest hint of perplexion in Lucifer’s face.

“Ah…” At last, Lucifer released the straw. “Shall we call over the waitress for a different order?”

  
  


After the waitress was flagged down and a second tasting set ordered, Sandalphon found himself staring down an identical tray of coffee as Lucifer. His eyes darted back and forth between the cups anxiously. Each mini ceramic cup sat on top of a label that noted the blend’s coffee bean sources.

Not a single one of the labels made any sense to him.

“Which one are you starting with?”

 _Here comes the test…_ Sandalphon swallowed nervously. “I-I think I’ll just go down the line.”

A soft gasp escaped from Lucifer. “That is an excellent idea! I was too preoccupied with my indecision that I hadn’t considered doing that myself.”

They both reached for the first cup and took a sip.

Sandalphon frowned. _Why the hell does this coffee taste so shitty?_

The soft click of the ceramic cup on the tray signalled that Lucifer had finished his first blend already. He quickly downed the rest of the cup and set it back onto the tray. “How did it taste?”

 _It feels like something crawled into my mouth and died._ Sandalphon quickly googled the blend under the table. “Uh… i-it had some notes of honey, almonds, and dried fruit?”

Lucifer looked perplexed. “I see…”

_Shit. I gave the wrong answer, didn’t I?_

Lucifer shifted in his seat and turned to look out the window. “The weather has been lovely lately, hasn’t it? I’ve been enjoying the warmer temperature here,” he laughed softly. “It’s much more bearable than the humid heat in South America.”

It felt like he had a lump in his throat. _Shit. Why’s he mentioning the weather? Does the weather or temperature change the taste of coffee?_

Sandalphon snuck another glance at his phone to look it up. “Is something the matter, Sandalphon? You’ve been checking your phone a lot since we’ve arrived.”

 _Shit. I’ve been caught._ He sheepishly placed his phone on the table. “Uh, well, I just remembered that things like altitude makes things taste differently,” he stiffly gestured at his phone’s screen. “So I was wondering if ambient temperatures or the weather would affect how coffee tastes…”

“Oh!” Lucifer’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “I did not know that about altitude! How does it work?”

“Uh… I think you don’t taste salty or sweet things very well?”

“How interesting! Where did you learn about that?”

“I googled why airplane food tastes so weird…”

“Oh? Did you end up finding out if it does?”

Sandalphon faltered. “H-huh?”

“If the ambient temperature affects the taste of coffee?”

“Uh, not really. Google only told me that coffee tastes more bitter when it’s room temperature. That’s about it.” He mentally kicked himself for admitting that he googled it.

“How wonderful!” Lucifer clasped his hands together, beaming brightly. “I learned something new about coffee from you.”

\--------

Lucifer returned to Cafe Ambrosia alone after seeing Sandalphon off. He had hoped to enjoy a pleasant walk back together, but Sandalphon had given him a hasty apology, saying that he was meeting with his mother immediately after.

The bells above the door jingled cheerily as he pulled it open. Lyria grinned from her seat near the counter. “How did your date go?”

“It went wonderfully,” Lucifer hummed contentedly. “I really enjoyed my date with Sandalphon. Thank you for your suggestion, Lyria.”

Djeeta leaned over the counter. “Alright, you _have_ to spill the deets!”

“At first, I was worried that he would not enjoy the cafe. The tasting set I ordered tasted… well…” he trailed off, shuddering at the memory of its taste. “But when Sandalphon tasted his set, he seemed to enjoy it very much! I was worried that my inability to taste the same flavors that he did reflected poorly on me as a cafe owner, but perhaps I had neglected to drink my coffee immediately after it was served so the flavors were not at their peak,” he paused. “I am amazed at how knowledgeable Sandalphon is about coffee.”

\--------

Sandalphon was slumped over the counter making pained sounds as Gran flitted back and forth getting the cafe ready for opening. The younger brunet sighed and prodded him with an elbow while balancing a tray of cookies in his hands. “Alright, Grumplephon, what’s up with you this morning?”

“I think I fucked up.”

“Aren’t you always a fuck up, though?”

“Shut up. You wanted to know what’s going on, so I’m telling you. Now are you going to listen or what?”

Gran rolled his eyes and slid the tray into the display case. “Right, right, right. I’m listening.”

“So, as I was saying before I got _rudely_ interrupted. I think I fucked up his test. Now Lucifer knows what a fraud I am,” Sandalphon made some more pained sounds. “I shouldn’t have told him I googled all of my answers. Cafe Kitten was using some expensive ass beans, but they tasted like shit because I don’t know shit about coffee. Of course I can’t appreciate their flavors!”

Gran froze. “Wait. The coffee at Cafe Kitten tasted gross?”

Sandalphon screamed into the counter for a minute before looking back up at Gran. “YES IT DID. IF YOU WERE LISTENING, I SAID I DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT COFFEE!”

“Maybe they didn’t brew it right?”

“THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT AT FIRST, BUT THEIR CAFE WAS FANCY AS FUCK!” Sandalphon grabbed Gran by the shoulders and shook him violently. “YOU SHOULD’VE SEEN THEIR MENUS. THEY WERE MADE OF FUCKING WOOD WITH THE MENU BURNED INTO IT. THEY CLEARLY KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING. THEY HAD CHALKBOARD WALLS WITH CATS DRAWN ALL OVER IT!”

Gran sighed. “So what if the cafe was fancy, maybe they’re just all show?”

“THE CAFE HAD AN INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE ON THEIR WALL!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“IT SAID, ‘BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL PERSON IS A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF COFFEE,’ GRAN!”

A loud crunch interrupted Sandalphon’s shouting and the two of them turned towards its source. Belial was leaning up against the entrance to the staff lounge munching a fist full of popcorn. “Don’t mind little old me. Please, continue.”

Gran dangled from Sandalphon’s hands. “Belial, you know Michael’s gonna kill you for eating her popcorn stash again.”

Belial grinned and gave him a wink. “Not if she can’t catch me, she won’t!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One time, I went to go pick up souffle pancakes for my friend and me. The shop had two beverage options and one of them was sparkling espresso. "What's that? Sounds delicious and questionable," said my friend.
> 
> We both tried it and discovered that it tasted very gross. So I decided to inflict Lucifer and Sandalphon with it too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyria is getting sick and tired of watching these two love-struck idiots fumble around, so she's taking things into her own hands. 
> 
> Gran, Djeeta, and Lyria also give a reluctant Sandalphon a makeover.

He wasn’t sure what to expect when Lyria called him and Lucifer out to the front, but getting stared down by a short, blue-haired high schooler was not even remotely on his list. Lyria’s hands were on her hips in a way that she believed would look intimidating, but Sandalphon felt the corner of his mouth twitching upwards as he fought back the urge to laugh at the sight. “Give me your hands!”

“What, are you going to give us a treat and teach us new tricks?”

Lyria frowned. “Sandalphon! Stop being such a meanie! I’m trying to give both of you something!”

Confused, the two of them did as she asked and she pushed something flat into their hands. Sandalphon looked down. “Tickets?”

“They’re expiring soon, and I can’t go, so please use them!” Lyria folded her arms in front of her and puffed out her chest. “Besides, the cafe’s going to be closed for the holiday tomorrow, right? And you should be done with the semester now too, Sandalphon! You should both go together.”

Sandalphon frowned. “Can’t you just use it yourself? You’re on holiday too.”

“I can’t! I have um…” Lyria wracked her brain. “I have choir practice!”

“On a holiday?”

“I. Have. Choir. Practice.”

Lucifer smiled, tucking the ticket away in his breast pocket. “Well, I suppose if it can’t be helped… Thank you for the ticket, Lyria. I have never been to an amusement park before!” He turned to look at Sandalphon. “We’ll have plenty of fun on your behalf, won’t we, Sandalphon?”

Sandalphon felt his maiden heart tremble. How could he say no to a smile like that? “Y-yeah… sure…”

  
  


Sandalphon finished up closing duty and put up their holiday closure sign in the door before locking up. As the latch clicked shut, he felt a sense of foreboding.

Sighing, he turned around to find Gran, Djeeta, and Lyria waiting for him. Djeeta grinned mischievously. “Guess what time it is, Sandalphon?”

“Time for you numbskulls to leave me alone and go home, I hope.” He snorted as he slipped the cafe keys into his pocket.

Lyria grabbed onto his arm and tried to pull him back when he tried to walk off. “No, silly! It’s time for your makeover!”

“I liked my idea better.”

Gran joined with tugging at Sandalphon with one hand, his other hand preoccupied with Vyrn’s leash. “Come on, Sandalphon! Don’t be such a party pooper!”

Djeeta gripped him by the shoulders from behind and spun him around, pushing him towards the shopping district. “Yeah, you could really use some help fixing up your look!”

Sandalphon frowned. “What’s wrong with what I wear every day?”

Lyria tried to push him with all her might, her small body trembling from the strain. “Aren’t you trying to impress Lucifer?”

“I…” He groaned. “You have a good point there…”

\--------

Lucifer hummed happily to himself as he pulled out hanger after hanger from his closet, setting them on the bed and shifting them around. Belial leaned against the doorway watching in rapt interest with a lollipop in his mouth. He pulled it out with a loud, wet pop. “So, Lucy. I hear you’ve got a hot date with Sandy tomorrow?”

Lucifer looked up in surprise. “Oh, you’re right! The weather is starting to get warmer. I should pick something with the possibility that it might be hot. Thank you, Belial!”

“Lucy, this is why you’re soooo _boring._ Honestly, I have no idea how you’re not already balls deep in him.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Lucifer tilted his head. “I’m not sure that I follow?”

He sauntered over to Lucifer and leaned in, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Alright, look. You’ve got the hots for Sandy, right?”

Lucifer nodded slowly. “Of course?”

He pointed his lollipop at Lucifer. “With the way you’re headed, your date tomorrow’s gonna be an absolute disaster.”

“Truly? I was unaware…”

Belial sighed dramatically as he sat down on the bed. “And that’s the problem, Lucy. You’re so thick-headed. Everything just flies over your head.”

“I doubt that. I’ve been told that I have excellent reflexes.”

“That’s besides the point,” Belial paused, giving his lollipop a thoughtful lick as an idea occurred.

He reached over and draped his arm over Lucifer’s shoulder, pulling him in closer. “Tell you what, Lucy. As thanks for letting me stay here while I'm down on my luck,” he grinned impishly. “And since I’m _such_ a nice guy, let me give you some advice.”

\--------

Sandalphon was already regretting letting the trio drag him out to go shopping. Five times now, they’ve pulled him away from the shoe stores. “Sandalphon, we’re here to fix your clothes!” Lyria puffed her cheeks in a pout as she tugged him away from yet another window display of stylish heels.

“Besides,” Djeeta looked up from her phone. “Don’t you already have plenty of shoes?”

“What do you know? You’ve never seen all my shoes!”

“Oh yeah? I bet they’re all three-inch heels”

Sandalphon huffed indignantly. “I have two-inch heels too!”

“Riiiiiiiight, how many of them aren’t high heels?”

Sandalphon mumbled under his breath. Djeeta inched closer to him, a smug look on her face. “What’d you say? I didn’t catch it.”

Sandalphon turned away from her. “N-none.”

“Thought so!”

“Come on, Djeeters! Help us!” Gran tried pushing him away from the display.

The blonde rolled her eyes and gave Sandalphon a firm shove from behind, causing him to stumble. “There you go! Keep moving!”

Lyria giggled. “You’re so strong, Djeeta! Gran and I could barely get him to budge!”

Djeeta shrugged. “I’m honestly surprised he could put up that much of a fight wearing heels.”

“Say,” Gran hummed. “Why _do_ you wear heels all the time anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without them on.”

Sandalphon scowled. “It’s none of your business.”

Djeeta gave him another firm shove. “Oh, I know why.”

“Really?” Lyria tilted her head inquisitively.

“Yeah, it’s _so_ obvious,” Djeeta grinned. “He likes to feel tall!”

“Shut it!” Sandalphon lunged at her. “I’ve had enough of your nonsense!”

Djeeta cackled as she slipped out of his reach. “You’re just mad I’m right!”

  
  


Sandalphon stepped out of the fitting room stiffly, sporting a three-piece suit. “I don’t know. Isn’t this too much?”

Lyria and Djeeta scrutinized him, serious expressions on both of their faces. “It actually doesn’t look too bad.”

Lyria nodded in agreement. “Maybe we should try a different color shirt?”

“What does he look like? I can’t seeeee!” Gran complained from outside of the shop.

The two girls pushed him closer to the entrance. Vyrn stood up and stretched near Gran’s feet as they got closer. Gran squinted, a hand under his chin. “I kinda agree with Grumplephon. That doesn’t look right on him. Also,” he waved his hand up and down. “Isn’t that too fancy for an amusement park?”

Djeeta snorted. “Please, it’s a _date_. Sandalphon’s gonna need _all_ the help he can get.”

“Forget it,” Sandalphon grumbled. He turned around and started heading back towards the fitting room. “I’ll just stick with whatever I already have.”

“But all you wear is a hoodie every day!”

“Sometimes I don’t!” he snapped back at Gran.

“Almost every day!”

“It’s like your brand,” Djeeta was back to tapping away on her phone. “Heels, hoodies, and skinny jeans.”

Gran crouched down to give Vyrn a scratch under his chin. “To be fair, the skinny jeans are great on him.”

“Yep. He’s got legs for days.”

Sandalphon fumed as he reached the fitting room, but then something caught his eye. He pulled it from the rack and carried it into the room with him. When he re-emerged from the fitting room, Lyria gave a soft gasp. “Wow! That really looks good on you, Sandalphon!”

Djeeta whistled. “Okay, not too bad.”

“WAIT. LET ME SEEEEE! I CAN’T SEE FROM OUT HERE!”

\--------

Gran rested his elbows on the low table, his fingers steepled before his face. “So, you’re all probably wondering why I gathered you all here today…”

“We’re clearly here to discuss what a disaster Sandalphon’s gonna be tomorrow.” Djeeta replied without looking up from her phone.

“AW COME ON!” Gran slapped his hands onto the table in frustration, startling the pomeranian by his knee. “Can’t you just let me have this for once?”

Djeeta shrugged, still tapping away at her phone. Gran frowned. “You’ve been on your phone this whole time. What the heck have you been doing?”

“This bitch ass punk butt thinks he can beat my score and drop my ranking,” her tapping intensified. “THINK AGAIN!”

Gran sighed, sliding his face down against the table. Vyrn squirmed his way under the table and whimpered when the door opened. “I thought those were your shoes downstairs,” the brown-haired woman smiled, peeking in through the door. “So I thought I’d bring you kids some lemonade and snacks!”

Lyria beamed. “Thanks, mommy!”

Gran and Djeeta grimaced. “Uh, thanks, Mrs. Katalina…”

She set the tray down on the table and was about to pour their drinks when Vyrn’s trembling body caught her eye. “VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” she squealed, kneeling on the carpet to reach the frightened pomeranian. Vyrn whined pitifully as Katalina assaulted him with vigorous pets. “If I had known you were visiting, I would’ve brought you a treat too!”

At last, she stood back up and headed to the door, sighing in complete bliss. “I’ll leave you three to your super secret meeting now. Let me know if you kids need anything!”

After her footsteps faded away, the siblings carefully moved the tray to the side. Gran steepled his fingers again. “Alright, let’s commence the meeti-”

A sudden thudding sound came down the hallway and the door flew open, revealing a blonde woman wearing a deadly expression on her face. “Ah, good. You didn’t touch it.”

She set a completely different tray on their table. “Thanks, mom!”

Gran immediately went for the plate of cookies. “Thanks, Mrs. Vira!”

Vira sighed. “I know she means well, but her cooking is inedible to everyone but those with a stomach of iron.”

The trio helped her get the pitcher and cups laid out onto the table. Vira retrieved Katalina’s tray and headed towards the door. “You’re both free to stay for dinner if you’d like. Don’t worry. I’m doing the cooking.”

“Thanks! That’d be great!” Djeeta chirped as she munched on a cookie.

The door closed with a click and the three quickly cleared the cookies. Downing the last of his lemonade, Gran slammed the glass onto the table. “Alright. Time to start the meeting for real,” he leaned into the table with a serious expression. “We fixed Sandalphon’s threads for his big date and all, but I’m still worried about those two.”

Djeeta nodded. “On one hand, we all know what a disaster Sandalphon is. You leave him alone and it’ll be a downward spiral from there,” she planted both of her hands on the table. “On the other hand, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as dense as Lucifer,” she threw her hands up in the air. “UUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH! IT’S SO FRUSTRATING! THEY’RE BOTH CLEARLY IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER! YOU CAN SEE THEM MAKING EYES AT EACH OTHER, BUT THEY’RE JUST SO _STUPID!”_

“RIGHT?” Gran slapped the table emphatically. “That’s why I have this idea: maybe we should tail them. You know. Just in case?”

Lyria raised her hand. Djeeta guided her hand back down. “We’re not in class. You don’t have to raise your hand.”

“Oh, sorry!” Lyria apologized. “Um… I get how you both feel, but we should also consider Sandalphon’s feelings! I don’t think he’d like us following him around on his date.”

Djeeta folded her arms pensively. “Lyria’s right,” she paused, a smirk growing on her face. “That’s why we’re gonna need disguises!”

  
  


An hour later they reconvened in Lyria’s room again wearing their disguises.

Lyria was sporting a giant pair of novelty sunglasses she found in the garage.

Gran had a Santa hat on with an enormous, bushy white beard attached.

Djeeta grinned behind a pair of gag glasses with a large nose and mustache. “WE ARE FREAKING _GENIUSES!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lollipop was 100% penis shaped. Come on. This is Belial we're talking about.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer and Sandalphon go to Vikala's D*sneyland.
> 
> Lucifer has a lovely time and Sandalphon has an internal crisis.

Sandalphon shifted nervously in front of the cafe waiting for Lucifer. He checked the time on his phone for the tenth time. Maybe it was a bad idea to show up so early after all. He fussed with the fringe of his scarf.

He was feeling out of his element wearing the blazer, but he really wanted to try and impress Lucifer. Sandalphon sighed. As much as he denied it to the troublesome trio, they were right. He was going to need all the help he could get to in order for someone like Lucifer to even look his way.

He readjusted his scarf again when the cafe door suddenly jingled open, startling him. Lucifer stepped out with two cups of coffee in hand. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he smiled as he handed Sandalphon a cup. “It’s rather chilly this morning, so I thought I’d get here early and make you something warm to drink!”

“Th-thanks!” he squeaked as he accepted the drink.

Lucifer locked the cafe door and held out his hand to Sandalphon. “Shall we?”

Sandalphon felt his face flush as Lucifer took his free hand. “Yeah…”

The two of them didn’t budge, but neither let go of the other’s hand. Lucifer shifted timidly, his cheeks lighted dusted pink from the cold. “Ah… I don’t know the way there. Could you lead the way, Sandalphon?”

The cold temperature must have been temporary. Sandalphon felt like he was burning under all the layers.

 _Did the sun finally come out?_ He considered taking off a layer, but he’d have to let go of Lucifer’s hand to remove the blazer. “S-sure!”

And so he endured it their entire walk to the amusement park.

  
  
Lucifer didn’t release his hand when they reached the ticket gate. It wasn’t until the gate kept instructing them to walk through the turnstile one at a time that Lucifer finally let go. Sandalphon pushed his scarf up higher to hide his face. Maybe if he did that, Lucifer wouldn’t see how red his face was.

As Sandalphon made his way past the turnstile, he paused. He saw a flash of blue dart out of his view from the corner of his eye. Sandalphon turned around and frowned. Off to the side was a group of three teenagers huddled behind a newspaper held upside down. A distinct, blue antenna poked out from the center of the huddle. _Did those three dumbasses decide to tag along to make fun of me?_ He shook his head. _No. They wouldn’t do something like that._

“Sir?”

He was clearly letting his nerves get the best of him. “Sorry.”

“Shall we get breakfast before we start?” Lucifer asked after he finally joined him on the other side of the gate. “So we have energy to take on all the attractions!”

Sandalphon nodded. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

They quickly found a cafe close to the park’s entrance and got seated at an outdoor table. Sandalphon immediately shed his blazer and draped it over the back of his chair. He tried to discreetly check himself over. _I’m not sweaty, am I?_

Satisfied that there were no sweat marks showing, he picked up the menu to browse through. He only got through half of the menu when he sensed something was off. He slowly looked up from the menu and scanned the cafe. His intuition was correct all along: Gran, Djeeta, and Lyria were getting seated at the back of the cafe.

They immediately ducked behind a set of menus the moment their eyes met. Lyria’s bright blue antenna quivered visibly from behind their menus from the sudden movement. He didn’t know if he wanted to sink into the ground and disappear or to scream.

He decided to try and ignore them, returning his attention to the menu. “Hi! Have you already decided, or did you two need some more time?”

“Uh… I’ll have a medium coffee.”

Lucifer tilted his head curiously. “Is that all you’re going to have?”

“I usually don’t eat much for breakfast. Coffee’s good enough for me.”

“Well, in that case,” Lucifer smiled. “Would you like to share an order of pancakes with me? I’m not sure if I’d be able to finish it on my own.”

“S-sure.”

Lucifer turned to their water. “One pancake set, please. And I’ll have a medium coffee too.”

“Two medium coffees and a pancake set. Got it!”

Their order came out surprisingly quick, and the waiter also brought out an extra plate for them. “They look lovely,” Lucifer marvelled. “It’s almost a pity to eat them.”

Sandalphon peered over at the stack of pancakes. Lucifer was right. The cafe had shaped the pancakes into little mouse heads and used chocolate syrup and jam to draw in their features. “They really go all out with that, don’t they?”

As Lucifer divided up the pancakes between their two plates, Sandalphon caught Djeeta getting up from their table in the back and pass by his table. She quickly slipped a piece of paper underneath his napkin and bolted back to her table.

Sandalphon sighed and slid the paper out to read it. “Tell him he looks handsome!” was scrawled on it; probably Gran’s handwriting.

He crumpled the scrap of paper and shoved it in his pocket. “Lucifer, I’m going to use the restroom real quick! Don’t wait up for me. Feel free to get started on the pancakes while they’re warm.”

He stood up and briskly walked over to the trio’s table, quickly snatching them by the back of their shirts and dragging them off to the side before they could run off. “What the _hell_ do you _think_ you’re doing?” he hissed.

“I have no idea what you’re going on, young man.” Gran wheezed. “When I was your age, I properly respected my elders, unlike you disrespectful millennials.”

Sandalphon snatched the Santa hat off of Gran. “Quit fucking with me! What the _hell_ are you doing?”

The three stood frozen for a good minute before Djeeta blurted out, “How did you see through our flawless disguises?”

Sandalphon sputtered. “Flawless? Disguises? What do you take me for?”

Gran finally found his tongue. “We’re worried about you, so we’re tagging along as your wingman and wingwomen!”

“My what?”

Lyria held up her journal to him. “We’ve got your back, Sandalphon! Now that you know we’re in on it, we can help you!”

Sandalphon folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. “How exactly are you planning on doing that?”

“Easy!” Djeeta planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly. “We’re going to write prompts in Lyria’s journal and hold it up so only you can see it.”

“I don’t need you morons helping me.”

“Are you _sure_ about that?” Gran poked him in the side. “You know, we’re only doing this because you and Lucifer are absolutely, _completely_ hopeless at love.”

Sandalphon sputtered. “I’m not hopeless… I don’t think… wait. Lucifer?”

“See?” Djeeta grinned, pointing a thumb to her chest. “You _need_ our help, Sandalphon! We’re gonna make your date the best date _ever!_ ”

Lyria tried to push him back to the dining area. “Now that you know that we’re just here to help you, you shouldn’t keep Lucifer waiting!”

Sandalphon reluctantly trudged back to his table and sat down with a sigh. “Are you okay, Sandalphon?” Lucifer’s brows were furrowed in worry. “You were away for a while.”

“I-I’m fine!” Sandalphon stammered. “I had to… wash my face a few times!” He tried to laugh it off. “I guess I need more caffeine, huh?”

Lyria was waving her journal at him from the back of the cafe. He wanted to cover his face in embarrassment, but he tried to force a smile. “L-Lucifer, y-you’re very handsome today.”

Lucifer beamed. “Thank you, Sandalphon. You look wonderful today too!”

Sandalphon choked on his coffee. Lucifer’s smile was simply too beautiful to behold.

How was he going to survive a whole day of this?

  
  


After breakfast, the two of them pored over the park map, trying to decide how to tackle all of the rides. Sandalphon made a counter-clockwise loop with his finger. “If we follow this route, it’d be the most efficient, but these rides are really popular,” he pointed out several rides on the map. “So if we want to avoid standing in long lines, it’d be better to go to them now.”

Lucifer hummed as he considered all the options. Sandalphon swallowed thickly and tried not to stare at Lucifer. _His eyelashes are like delicate feathers of frost. The way light strikes it and splinters into prismati-_

“What’s this ride?” Lucifer pointed to the closest ride to them on the map.

“O-oh that? That’s just the merry-go-round, but it’s a kid’s ri-” Lucifer’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I-it’s a kid’s ride, but it’s not like they’re going to tell us we can’t ride it…”

“I can’t wait!” Lucifer beamed. “I’ve never been on one before!”

Sandalphon tried to hide his face behind the map. “Well, it’s close by. W-we might as well see if they won’t let us on.”

There was barely a line when they arrived at the merry-go-round. The ride attendant let them both into the ride without any issues. Not that he expected any issues, but Sandalphon felt mortified about getting on a kid’s ride. If Lucifer hadn’t wanted to ride the merry-go-round so badly, he’d have happily skipped it.

Wishing to get it over with as quickly as possible, he climbed onto the first available horse. “Oh!” Sandalphon almost slipped off the horse at the sound of Lucifer’s voice. “Have you chosen that one because it’s brown like your hair?”

“No, not reall-”

“In that case, I’ll pick this one!” Lucifer climbed onto the snow-white horse next to his. “Isn’t it lovely that they’re both close to each other?”

Sandalphon felt his heart stop. _Lucifer. His white knight. Riding in on a pure white steed._

The ride suddenly lurched to a start, leaving him scrambling to grab onto the pole. “Look this way, Sandalphon.”

He turned around and looked over at Lucifer, confusion on his face. It wasn’t until he heard the distinct shutter sound that he realized Lucifer had his phone’s camera pointed at him. Lucifer had a saintly smile on his face as he pointed to himself. “Will you do me?”

“D-d-d-d-d-d-d- _do?!_ ” Sandalphon stammered. He could feel his face heat up.

Lucifer looked crestfallen at his response. “Ah, I did not consider that you might not have brought your phone with you. Forgive me for my thoughtlessness.”

Sandalphon froze. _Wait. What does a phone have anything to do with- Oh. OH._

“N-no. I have my phone. See?” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “SAYCHEESE!”

Lucifer’s smile was so mesmerizing, so blindingly beautiful. No photo could ever do his smile any justice. Despite that realization, Sandalphon tapped his screen in rapid succession, snapping multiple shots. At least one of them must be close to capturing his perfection, right?

The ride slowly came to a stop, but Sandalphon had long ceased hearing the cheesy pipe organ music of the merry-go-round over the sound of his heartbeat thundering in his ear. “Sandalphon? Did you need help getting down?”

He quickly snapped to attention. “N-nope! I’m fine!”

Sandalphon shoved his phone back into his pocket and dismounted. _Lucifer’s photos._

He drew out his phone again and swiped through the last few photos. _His ethereal beauty. Immortalized on my phone._

“Sir, please watch your step.”

He paused swiping. _Would it be weird if I use this for my wallpa-_

Distracted by photos of Lucifer, Sandalphon missed where the platform ended. His next step found no footing and he landed flat on his face. Sandalphon didn’t move. He wanted to scream. “Sandalphon, are you alright?”

Lucifer was looking down at him with concern plastered all over his face. Sandalphon’s face burned in embarrassment. “Yeah! Totally fine! Yep!” Sandalphon quickly pushed himself back up, ignoring Lucifer’s outstretched hand. “Never felt better!”

He looked down at the phone gripped in his hand. _Well, the screen isn't cracked._ He sighed in relief, finally deciding on which shot to use for his wallpaper.

Sandalphon’s phone suddenly buzzed and he almost dropped it. “I sent you your picture!”

He tried to calm himself with a deep breath. “I-I’ll send you yours in a sec!”

Sandalphon stared at his phone’s gallery, his finger hovering over the screen uncertainly. _Uh… which one do I send?_

  
  


_“Wait here. I will be right back!”_

_“I’ll be waiting!” Sandalphon had replied with a smile._

It had to have been ten whole minutes ago since Lucifer had left him behind near the restrooms. _Was it ten minutes? Has it been longer?_ Sandalphon nervously checked his watch for the twentieth time. _No, it really has been ten minutes now._

Lucifer was nowhere to be seen.

Sandalphon crouched down, pulling his scarf closer to his face. They had been heading towards the first popular ride in the park when Lucifer suddenly stopped and pulled him towards a different direction. At first, he was confused until he saw the restrooms. _Oh, Lucifer needs to use the restrooms._ he had thought, but then Lucifer told him to wait there and ran off god knows where.

 _Wait._ Sandalphon froze. _Oh god. Lucifer probably ditched me. He’s too nice to tell me upfront._

Sandalphon covered his face, mortified. _Of course he ditched me. That has to be it. I was so uncool falling on my face like that._

He stared off at the small flower patch nearby. _I should just lie down in the dirt and let the earth reclaim my lame ass…_

“Sandalphon? What are you looking at?”

Sandalphon jumped up, brushing imaginary dirt from himself. “N-nothing at all! I was just, uh, resting for a bit because there’s nowhere to sit!”

Lucifer looked off to the side and Sandalphon followed his gaze to see a lone bench by the restrooms.

“Oh, uh… well…” Sandalphon panicked. “S-sometimes they can be wet in the morning, so I figured it’d be safer not to sit on them?”

Lucifer let out a soft gasp. “Is that so?” He smiled. “I’m learning so much from you, Sandalphon.”

Sandalphon fidgeted with the fringe of his scarf trying not to stare at Lucifer’s face. “Oh, uh… did you manage to take care of whatever business you went off to do?”

“Ah,” Lucifer handed him a churro. “I wanted to buy this for you!”

Sandalphon took hold of the wax paper wrapped around the treat’s base, confused. “A churro?”

Lucifer nodded enthusiastically, watching him expectantly. Sandalphon turned the churro around in his hand, examining it. _It doesn’t really look all that special._

Carefully angling it so the cinnamon sugar coating would get on him, Sandalphon cautiously took a bite. The flavor hit his tongue and Sandalphon’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! There’s a cream cheese filling? I wasn’t expecting that,” he took another bite. “I don’t think I’ve ever had one like this before.”

“I’m glad!” Lucifer sighed with relief. “I’m thankful that Belial told me about it.”

Sandalphon paused mid bite. _“Belial?!”_

Lucifer nodded. “He was kind enough to share some advice with me yesterday.”

“Huh…” Sandalphon chewed thoughtfully. _I guess that sleazeball isn’t all that bad._

“I did have some difficulty locating it,” Lucifer continued. “I would have found it sooner if I had known what it was called, but I suppose Belial forgot it’s name, so I had to keep an eye out for something long, hard, and cream-filled.”

Sandalphon choked. _Never mind. I’m going to fucking kill that bastard and scatter his corpse to all the corners of the earth._

“Are you alright, Sandalphon? Do you need any water?”

Sandalphon crushed the remaining churro in his hand and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

  
  


Sandalphon slumped into his seat. He checked his watch. It was a little past two.

They somehow managed to squeeze in all of the popular rides before the lines got too bad and then some. He hummed to himself, mildly impressed.

The three meddling teens had spent the entire morning tailing them to every single ride, and they all decided to shed their disguises after he’d caught them.

Thankfully, it seemed like they’ve completely forgotten their mission. On the last ride they were on, their tea cup had zoomed past them with Djeeta spinning their tea cup and cackling like a mad demon while Gran clung to his seat like his life depended on it and screamed. Lyria, on the other hand, seemed to be genuinely having fun.

Hopefully it'll stay that way. He peered across the restaurant to see the trio seated at the far end throwing their thumbs up at him before scribbling something in Lyria’s journal. He sighed. Clearly not.

He turned his attention to Lucifer, who was seated across from him. At least his face is closer. He could simply gaze at Lucifer’s perfect visage and easily ignore the three dumbasses waving their dumb sign at him telling him to accidentally touch Lucifer's hand.

Sandalphon sighed again and watched as Lucifer looked through the menu. Lucifer could read the entire menu to him along with the allergen warnings and he would still be transfixed. The light from the afternoon sun fell gently on Lucifer’s face, illuminating his snow white hair in a way that made it appear to glow from within.

A dark shadow passed between the window and Lucifer, momentarily blotting out the natural lighting. Sandalphon scowled and looked up. Who the hell just blocked his light source during his admire-Lucifer’s-perfect-features time?

Sandalphon’s face fell. Belial grinned and brought a finger to his lips before sauntering over to the three idiots in the back. His hands balled into fists beneath the table. _What the fuck is he doing here?!_

He watched warily as Belial sat down with the trio and motioned to them to let him write in Lyria’s journal. Sandalphon raised an eyebrow, but Gran and Djeeta only shrugged when Lyria handed it over to him. _Well, whatever. It’s not like it can get any wors-_

Sandalphon sputtered at the sight of Belial’s sign. Gran and Djeeta scrambled to pull down the journal and cover the hastily scrawled, “GIVE BLOW JOB IN THE BATHROOM” before anyone could see it. Sandalphon covered his face with the menu. _God, please strike me down. It was bad enough with the three idiots “helping.”_

“Sandalphon? Have you finished deciding what to eat yet?”

He peeked up from his menu. Lyria had joined Gran and Djeeta in their attempts to take down Belial’s advice. Lucifer was thankfully oblivious to the chaos in the back of the restaurant. “A-almost,” Sandalphon hurriedly looks through the menu. “I-if you’re ready, you can call the waiter. I should be ready soon!”

“Alright,” Lucifer flagged down their waiter. “Excuse me! We’re ready to order.”

Sandalphon looked up again. Djeeta managed to wrench the journal out of Belial’s hands at last. “What will you be having today, gentlemen?”

Lyria’s journal tucked away out of his reach, Belial sulked in his seat. Sandalphon sighed in relief. He had no idea what he’d have done if the four had caused enough of a commotion for Lucifer to notice. “I would like the sandwich, please.”

The three teens’ server brought out their food, temporarily distracting them. Belial gleefully swiped Gran’s hot dog from his tray. “And you, sir?”

He snapped to attention. “O-oh, uh… I’d like the ho-” Sandalphon accidentally made eye-contact with Belial. He watched in horror as Belial swallowed Gran’s hot dog in one gulp with a suggestive wink. _WHAT THE FUCK? HOW DID HE EVE-_

“Sir?”

Sandalphon coughed, pretending to clear his throat. “H-hamburger, please.”

  
  


“I am amazed,” Lucifer remarked as they walked out of the last rollercoaster. “Are amusement parks always this crowded?”

“Not always. Sometimes it’s kind of empty,” Sandalphon straightened up his blazer and scarf. “But lots of people have the day off, so it’s normal that there’s a lot of people around.”

Lucifer looked a little downcast. “It is unfortunate that we spent much of our time here waiting in line.”

Normally, he hated the crowd too, but the large amount of people everywhere did help him shake off the, now four, meddlers several times. Sandalphon paused as he turned to Lucifer. It was Lucifer’s first time at an amusement park, and he wanted to make sure Lucifer had an enjoyable time. “We did get most of the popular rides,” Sandalphon pulled out the map. “Was there anything you wanted to do before they close?”

Lucifer leaned in close to examine the map and Sandalphon willed his hands not to shake. He watched with rapt attention as Lucifer traced his finger along the map and came to a rest at a ride.

Sandalphon froze. He’d been trying to avoid all of the rides that would take them high up into the air. Roller coasters, he could somewhat handle. Lucifer smiled brightly, blissfully unaware of his internal turmoil. “I have always wanted to go on the Ferris wheel. I heard that the view from the top is to die for.”

 _Yeah, and if you fell from that height you’d die too!_ Sandalphon swallowed thickly. _But… he’ll think I’m lame if he finds out I’m afraid of heights…_

“Or would the lines be too long?”

Sandalphon shook his head. “N-not at all. It’s probably good to go before the sun sets! P-people like to go at nighttime more!”

“The view must be lovely at nighttime,” Lucifer hummed thoughtfully. “But if it means that the lines won’t be as long, I don’t mind going now,” Lucifer locked eyes with Sandalphon and smiled. “Perhaps the view as the sun is setting would be even more stunning!”

 _How do I say no to a smile like that?_ His knees felt weak. _Well, at least while the sun’s up, it won’t feel like I’m falling._ Sandalphon steeled his nerves. “S-sure, let’s go!”

  
  


If there was a god up there somewhere, that god was clearly playing a cruel joke on him. Sandalphon sat stiffly on one side of the gondola trying very hard not to make it shake.

When they had reached the Ferris wheel, there was an unusually long line; and by the time they were seated on the gondola, the skies were beginning to get dark. Sandalphon’s heartbeat spiked when the gondola suddenly swayed. Lucifer peered outside the window gleefully. “I can’t believe our luck, Sandalphon!”

He smiled nervously as their gondola began ascending. _Okay, maybe if I just take some deep breaths. I’ll be okay._

“To think we would be able to see the night sky from the Ferris wheel…”

 _If I look away from the windows, that might help?_ His fingernails were digging into his thighs, but he could barely feel it. _What if I just stared at the floor instead?_

“Oh… the amusement park is all illuminated!”

_Okay. Deep breaths. I’m not gonna think about how high up I am._

“Look how high up we are, Sandalphon!”

_SHIT. Too late. I’m thinking about it._

“It almost feels as though I could reach out and touch the sky.”

_Oh god, why is it shaking so much? This was a mistake._

“Sandalphon?”

_How much longer is this ride, I can’t take it any-_

The gondola jerked to a sudden stop. Sandalphon jumped up. “GET ME OFF!”

“Sandalphon!”

He suddenly felt Lucifer gripping him firmly by his shoulders. “L-Lucifer?”

Worry was plastered all over Lucifer’s face. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. I really am!”

“You’re crying.”

“I’m-” Sandalphon hadn’t noticed that tears were streaming down his face. “I’m sorry.”

Lucifer gently guided him back down to his seat. “Sandalphon, are you… perhaps… afraid of heights?”

Sandalphon reached up and squeezed Lucifer’s sleeves with his hands. Lucifer pulled him into a loose embrace. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked softly.

“You looked so excited,” Sandalphon replied, his voice somewhat muffled by Lucifer’s shirt. “It’s your first time here. I wanted you to have fun.”

Lucifer gently squeezed his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Sandalphon. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Sandalphon tried to shake his head. “It’s not your fault, Lucifer.”

“I still feel responsible all the same.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Shhhh,” Lucifer hushed him. “Does it help if I hold you like this?”

Sandalphon loosened his grip slightly. He’d almost forgotten they were stuck in the Ferris wheel. “A… a little.”

The gondola suddenly jerked to life. Sandalphon stiffened. Lucifer started stroking his back slowly. “It’s okay, Sandalphon. I’m here with you.”

_God… I’m so lame right now…_

“The night sky is breathtaking,” Lucifer whispered. “I see a cluster of light moving in an odd formation below. It looks like they’re moving along a path of some sort?”

“Sounds like the light parade started.”

“That sounds fascinating. Can you tell me more about it?”

“It’s crazy crowded,” Sandalphon sniffled. “You’d have to camp out a good spot somewhere on the path hours in advance if you want a good view.”

Lucifer was still stroking his back at a calming pace. “Is that so?”

“Honestly? I don’t think it’s worth the wait.”

“I would like to see it, but it seems that we won’t be able to get a good view at this time. Perhaps another day,” Lucifer gently squeezed his arm. “Sandalphon, we’re back down now.”

Sandalphon wiped his eyes with his sleeve as they climbed out of the gondola. “Thank you, Lucifer.”

“Is there still time left before the park closes?”

He checked his watch. “I think there’s enough time for one more ride if there’s no line.”

Lucifer smiled gently. “I’ll be sure to pick one that won’t go too high this time.”

Sandalphon glanced over at the line to the Ferris wheel. It had gotten longer than when the two of them had joined the line. He caught sight of Gran, Djeeta, and Lyria trapped near the front of the line. Good. There’s no way those three can leave inconspicuously to keep tailing them.

Sandalphon paused. _Wait. Three? Where’s that sleazebag?_

He didn’t have to look long before he spotted the asshole leaning up against a tree nearby. Belial waved at him. Sandalphon discreetly gave him the finger.

Belial winked at him and made an ok sign with his hand. _Huh… is he cheering me on? I guess he isn’t too bad._

He immediately thrust a finger rhythmically through the hole. Sandalphon turned away, face flushed. _NEVER MIND. HE’S A FUCKING ASSHOLE._

“Sandalphon, this ride looks like it doesn’t have a line.”

“Sounds good. Let’s ride that one!” He briskly followed Lucifer without looking up.

Anything to get away from that asshole.

  
  


_You have_ got _to be kidding me…_

Sandalphon stared at the ride’s sign incredulously. _Lucifer_ has _to know what kind of ride this is, right?_

“I wonder if no one’s in line for this because you can’t see the fireworks from here.”

Sandalphon felt his face heat up. _Oh god… he doesn’t know._

The ride attendant ushered them both onto the slow-moving boat with a wink. “Enjoy the ride, gentlemen!”

Lucifer beamed. “Thank you, we will!”

Sandalphon buried his face in his hands. _How do I even begin to explain to him that this is a couple’s ride?_

He took a deep breath and turned to look at Lucifer. The way the soft glow of the tunnel’s lighting caressed Lucifer’s features stole Sandalphon’s breath away. He quickly looked away, ears burning in memory of Belial’s lewd parting gestures. “Sandalphon?”

_God, I don’t even think of him that way… it’d be kind of nice if- NO NO NO I DON’T THINK OF HIM THAT WAY!_

He suddenly felt something warm touch his hand. Startled, he turned around. “Luci-”

Lucifer smiled gently. “You’re finally looking at me.”

Sandalphon decided that if he died then and there, he’d be happy with it. “S-sorr-”

“I want to apologize again for not noticing that you were afraid of heights,” Lucifer looked down, embarrassed. “I was too caught up in my own excitement to see your pain.”

Sandalphon started. “No! It’s all my fault for not saying something! You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t apologize to me like that,” he tugged at his scarf’s fringe with his free hand. “I hope you still had fun anyway.”

He could hear the fireworks cracking from outside the tunnel. The show must’ve just started. “I did, and I have you to thank for it,” Lucifer laughed. “And perhaps Lyria too. Did you have fun too? Despite my carelessness?”

Sandalphon nodded shyly. “Y-yeah.”

“I’m glad. I had a wonderful time, and I hope the Ferris wheel won’t make this the last time.”

“H-huh?”

Their boat finally cleared the long tunnel. Bright, colorful flashes of light exploded through the night sky. “How beautiful…” Lucifer sighed softly. “I didn’t think we could see them from this ride.”

Sandalphon couldn’t peel his eyes off of Lucifer. Each firework’s explosion in the sky illuminated Lucifer’s face in a myriad of colors. His breath hitched when Lucifer turned his attention back to him. _God, he’s so beautiful._

Lucifer leaned in closer to him. Sandalphon quickly closed his eyes, the sound of his rapid heartbeat thudding in his ears. He could feel Lucifer’s breath on his skin. _Oh shit. What do I do? Do I lean into it?_

“Thank you, Sandalphon. I had a wonderful time today.”

  
  
Sandalphon frowned as he dried a stack of serving trays. “And then at the end of the boat ride, he patted me on the head? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Gran, Djeeta, and Lyria groaned, stretching themselves over the table they were sharing. Djeeta slapped the table and glared at Sandalphon. “ _SERIOUSLY?!”_

Belial leaned against the counter, resting his chin on his hands. “Nice story and all, Sandy, but I’ve got a question for you.”

Sandalphon scowled as he stacked another tray on the dry stack and picked up another wet one. “Shut up and go away. I don’t want to talk to you, asshole.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. But before I go do that… tell me, did Lucy take you somewhere private and give you a long, hard, cream-filled snack?”

Sandalphon howled and flung the tray he was wiping at Belial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write LuciSan amusement park date for a long time.
> 
> Me: So I'm gonna make Sandalphon be afraid of heights and then have him and Lucifer ride the Ferris wheel...  
> Friend: Oooo fear of heights is a great way of translating his fall to Pandemonium into a modern au setting.  
> Me: I was actually doing that so I have a reason for Lucifer to hold him, but I like your interpretation more.


	6. Extra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An angry customer is upset that the cafe was closed on a holiday.

Raphael stood silently behind the counter. Now that the morning rush had died down, there wasn’t much to do. Gran had gone outside to wipe down the tables in the front.

And yet, for some reason that he couldn’t pin down, Raphael felt as though there was something important that he was forgetting. He stared out the window deep in thought.

The trill of the ringing phone snapped him from his thoughts and he picked it up. “Cafe Ambrosia.”

“WHAT THE HELL KIND OF SHITTY CAFE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE RUNNING?”

 _Ah, it’s one of_ those _phone calls._

“YOU IDIOTS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE OPEN YESTERDAY!”

Raphael stared out the windows again. Usually these customers lose steam if he just lets them yell into the phone for a while. He furrowed his brow. There was something important that he forgot to do. But what?

“I CALLED THE OTHER DAY AND YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE GOING TO BE OPEN YESTERDAY!”

The bells above the door jingled cheerily as Sandalphon entered. “Hey, Raphael.”

He nodded at Sandalphon in response.

“I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A NICE CUP OF COFFEE AWAY FROM MY KIDS, BUT WHEN I GOT TO YOUR SHITTY CA-”

Raphael dropped the phone. It finally dawned on him what he had forgotten. “MY SON.”

Sandalphon frowned. “Your what?”

Raphael thrust his apron into Sandalphon’s hands. “I FORGOT MY SON AT SCHOOL!”

Sandalphon followed him out the door slightly, confused. “But it’s Saturday?”

“YESTERDAY!”

  
\--------  
  


Belial licked his lips in concentration as he stacked another bag of coffee beans onto the counter to build his fortress. The phone suddenly rang, and he accidentally knocked a bag off the counter with his elbow. The bag split and spilled its contents all over the floor. _Eh. Sandy’ll clean it up. There’s more bags where it came from anyway._

The ringing phone was really killing his concentration. “Hey, Sandy. The phone’s ringing.” he called out to the kitchen.

“FUCK OFF.”

“Sure, if you give me a hand.”

He loved how easy it was to whip the brunet into a fluster. “SHUT UP. I’M BUSY RESTOCKING. ANSWER IT YOURSELF, ASSHOLE!”

Belial groaned and picked up the phone. “Cafe Ambrosia, how can I do you?”

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ASSHOLES HUNG UP ON ME EARLIER!”

“Did we? Oopsie.”

“OOPSIE DOESN’T CUT IT.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry whatever. How can I do you?”

“YOU FUCKERS WEREN’T OPEN YESTERDAY!”

Belial briefly considered continuing building his fortress one-handed. It’s not that much of a challenge anyway. He’s done plenty of things one-handed just fine before. “Hmm? Yeah, we were closed yesterday.”

“WELL I DIDN’T SEE ANY SIGNS ANYWHERE SAYING THAT.”

He rooted around in the bottom cabinets for another bag of coffee beans. “We slapped those all over our door and counters for over a week.”

“WELL I DIDN’T READ THEM.”

“Maybe you should,” He tried to stack the bag on top of the one on the counter, but knocked it over instead. _Oops. Well, Sandy can take care of that later too._

“FUCK YOU!”

Belial whistled. “Oooooo aren’t you all hot and bothered. Say, I’m kinda bored right now. Whatcha wearing? I’m not wearing anything underneath, by the way.”

He started walking over to the cafe restroom. “IS THIS SHITHOLE CAFE STAFFED BY FUCKING IDIOTS?”

“Hmmm… yeah, I’ve been called that many times before,” he dropped his voice to a low purr. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

“I’M GONNA REACH UP YOUR ASSHOLE-”

“Ooooh? You’re gonna do what to me now? Ooooooo you _have_ to tell me more.”

“AND RIP OUT YOUR SPINE!”

He closed the restroom door with a click and slowly unzipped his pants. “And then what?” his voice breathy.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?”

He slid his free hand into his pants with a moan. _“Everything.”_

There was a click and all he heard was a dial tone. “Aw come _on!_ You can’t leave me hangin’ like that!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bless my friends/beta readers for encouraging me and keeping me on track by sending me writer call out tweets from time to time and putting up with my random, "WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE CAFE AU" in the middle of our conversations. They're both really good at catching my dumb typos and helping my writing improve!

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes I get really impatient and then I’d consider publishing each chapter as I finished them, but then I realize that I tend to change my mind a lot midway through writing the following chapters.


End file.
